The Altar of Blood: 103rd Hunger Games:SYOT
by ZJB3
Summary: Three successful Hunger Games should all but cement Tyranna Vale's hold on power, but when tributes continue to volunteer to make a statement it forces her to take drastic steps to stabilize the situation. Her decision, freeze volunteering and force the youngest of the young to compete.If the districts won't mind on their own she'll force them back into line with blood. SYOT CLOSED
1. A Promise of Blood(Prologue)

**Tyranna Vale(President of Panem)**

I can understand why Celine is hesitant to agree with my decision, after all, I'm bucking over a hundred years of tradition by doing this but in my heart of hearts, I know it's the right thing. Not only is this the right thing but it's one hundred percent legal too, then again I think that might be the most unsettling part of this for her, the fact that it's legal.

"I understand your objections Ms. Minos, and while I will concede that some of them are rationally grounded I refuse to let fear dissuade me from my course, this is going to happen so you need to get on board."

"Madam President I'll do as instructed so there's no need for concern on that point, I just wanted to be on record with my dissenting opinion on the necessity of doing so. I can't help but feel this is more of a knee-jerk reaction to last year's incident then a necessary step to stabilize the Games going forward."

"Celine I appreciate your concern and rest assured I don't take this step lightly, but I also cannot abide dissension in the districts."

"Ma'am I hardly think one insolent boys actions qualify as dissension."

"I wasn't just Willock last year, it was Precious the year before and that little snot Callum the year before that. I can excuse one as an outlier but three, that's a trend, and that trend screams straight towards complete and total disregard for the established rules that keep our society whole."

"You're very passionate about this aren't you Tyranna?"

"I am, the security of the nation is of paramount importance and if tributes think they can buck the established order of things in the arena then what's to stop others from doing it outside? How far do I let this go before we slide back into the lawless anarchy of the dark Days? It's a slippery slope and it's one I refuse to allow the nation to go back down, not while I'm in power."

"I understand ma'am, and once again I didn't mean to come off as if I was questioning your judgment on the matter. I simply wanted to make sure I fully understood the reasoning behind it."

"Well, then I trust I've adequately allayed your fears?"

"Completely ma'am, and as always your Game Makers stand ready to deliver to you and Panem the celebration you both so richly deserve."

"Excellent Celine, now show me what you've got planned for this year."

She offers me a wry smile before fishing a small holodisk out of her pocket and presenting me with my first look at the finished product that is this year's arena. To my pleasant surprise, everything turned out far better than I imagined it would when she presented me with the plans in the days immediately following the end of last year's debacle. To say her aims were ambitious would be an understatement, hell even after everything she's done I still though the plan was insane, but once again she's proven me wrong and delivered something that manages to be breathtakingly beautiful and sinisterly evil at the same time, I'm going to have to stop doubting her in the future.

"It's everything you said it would be and more Celine, you and your team should be very proud of what you accomplished in such a short time."

"Thank you, ma'am, though your niece deserves a great deal of the credit. It's been shocking how much she's changed from one year to the next."

"Well, Centaura's always had a flair for things like this….It's half the reason I put her on your staff in the first place."

"If you don't mind me asking ma'am, what's the other half?"

"A bold question, and it deserves a bold response. The truth is I needed a way to ease her into the spotlight without giving her too much power too soon, and with the stellar team, you had already I knew placing her with you would be the safest bet."

"It certainly didn't seem like it last year….With all due respect."

"No last year was certainly less than smooth, but I trust she performed well enough in the end?"

"Above and beyond ma'am, above and beyond."

"Excellent, now I'm sorry but I have to cut this short, I've got to address the nation about the changes to this year's Games. Again excellent work on the arena and do pass on my congratulations to your team."

"Thank you, Madam President."

She quickly switches off the holo and slips it back into her pocket before quietly slipping out of the room without another word. Taking a moment to enjoy the peaceful silence I quietly ponder if it wouldn't be better to hold off on my declaration, I mean the arena this year is sinister enough without me adding to the sense of dread and foreboding but every time I try to convince myself I keep getting drawn back to the faces of the three little shits that threatened to undermine everything I've accomplished and my resolve hardens.

For a moment I manage to lose myself in my thoughts but almost as quickly as I slip into my visions of a truly perfect and peaceful Panem and soft rapping at my door snaps me back to the cold reality and reminds me just how far off my perfect world really is.

"Enter."

"Ma'am the tech crew is here to set up for the broadcast. Shall I send them in?"

"Yes and have the steward send up some tea while I wait."

She offers me a curt nod and quickly closes my door leaving me alone to stare at the groundbreaking proclamation I'm about to deliver to the nation.

* * *

 **Kimma Reece(District Nine Mentor and Victor of the 102** **nd** **Hunger Games)**

I can't remember the last time a president addressed the nation on the eve of the reapings, and if Oatis is correct it's not supposed to happen outside of a Quarter Quell. I mean I can't imagine it's anything good, I mean it's not like she's going to cancel the Games or anything like that so it's not like I have anything to get excited about, no it's more likely that my life is about to get a whole lot more complicated than it already is.

"Kimma will you push me on the swing?"

"I can't right now Rook the President is about to speak, but as soon as she's done we'll go out and play."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I affectionately ruffle his honey colored locks as my mom quickly leads him out of the room and toward a big plate of gingerbread men he's been impatiently waiting on to cool for the better part of an hour just as the Anthem of Panem rings out from every speaker in our cozy little house. My head quickly snaps around as I focus in on the T.V. in an almost trance like state as the National Seal quickly fades away and is replaced by the smiling face of our beloved President.

" _Good Evening Citizens of the Twelve Districts of Panem. Tonight I come to you with grave and unfortunate news regarding this year's Hunger Games. Now as most of you have no doubt noticed we've had an unsettling trend over the last three years with regards to volunteers committing unspeakable acts in the arena, the kind of acts that bring disgrace and shame to the nation as a whole. In order to rectify this issue today, I'm issuing Executive Order P23356-1A, this order lays out a substantial shift for the next few years of the Games._

 _Effective Immediately I Tyranna Vale, President of Panem am hereby placing a twelve-year moratorium on volunteering for the Hunger Games. That means that the next time tributes will be eligible to volunteer for the games is the One Hundred and Fifteenth Games. Furthermore, for this year's Games the One Hundred and Third annual Games the eligible reaping ages have been adjusted from their normal twelve to eighteen range to just twelve to thirteen._

 _Tomorrow the Reaping will continue as planned but only the aforementioned age groups will be checked in and only those groups will be drawn from. This is done as a reminder to the districts that while competing in the Games is an honor and a privilege it is also a punishment, and it will remain one until the districts have adequately repented for their sins during the Dark Days._

 _Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."_

I can't believe I just heard her say that, I mean this isn't the kind of thing anyone can do lightly and for the President to do it herself, I….I don't know what to think. Luckily no one else in the room seems to know what to say either, my mom is slack-jawed and my dad is grinding his teeth so hard I'm afraid he's going to break them. The three of us just sit in silence while Rook plays a little game with his food, we might have sat like this forever if a hard rapping at the door hadn't snapped us out of it long enough to realize that the world was in fact still moving.

My dad quickly makes his way to the door where a very flustered looking Oatis stands with one of the fakest smiles I've ever seen plastered on his face.

"Good evening Mr. Reece, Mrs. Reece. Might I have a few quick words with my partner, as long as I'm not interrupting that is."

"No Oatis you're fine. Kimma why don't you and Oatis go talk in your study while your mom and I finish fixing dinner. Would you care to stay Oatis, we're having beef stew?"

"Thank you, sir, but no, I have a small salad at home with my name on it."

My parents offer him a warm nod and quickly slip away into the kitchen even as I motion for my old mentor to follow me into the small study across the hall from Rook's play room. He doesn't say a word until the door is safely shut and even then his voice is hardly above a hushed whisper.

"I'll assume you saw the announcement."

"Yes, but why is she doing this now? More importantly, can she even do it?"

"To your first question I can only assume she's trying to crush any perceived rebellion in the Districts, and unless I miss my guess forcing careers to sit out a dozen years while wasting years upon years of training will help her quickly weed out any problems there. As to the other districts, I think the fear of seeing the youngest among them slaughtered will quickly eviscerate any hint of the desire to fight."

"Ok that's….Awful but, at least, it makes a sick kind of sense. What about my second question though?"

"The better question is who's going to stop her from doing it? Anyone with the pull in the Capital to do it wouldn't dare try after that speech. In one fell swoop, she destroys any hint of disloyalty in the districts and forces the powers that be around her to toe the line or die as a traitor."

"So what do we do Oatis, how do we prepare for tomorrow?"

"We hope for surprisingly talented tributes or an exceptionally weak field. Beyond that about the only thing we can do is prepare to sate the Capital with the blood of our young."

* * *

 **A/N: Welcome everyone to my 4th SYOT The Altar of Blood: The 103rd Annual Hunger Games. As you can see we're all in for a bloody good time and I can't wait to take this journey with you :)**

 **Now as it says above and on the tribute forum on my profile the ages for these games us 12-13 and absolutely no volunteering so please keep that in mind when submitting. Now this isn't a first come first serve but if you ask me to hold off on picking a tribute for a district so you can submit to it I will so long as you get the tribute submitted within 3 days of asking. Also everything on the forum is required and please be as descriptive as possible, the more you give me the closer to your expectations your submission will be :)**

 **Other than that thank you for looking at my story and I hope you submit and decide to take this journey with me :D**


	2. Consequences(Announcement Aftermath)

**Verity Sangster(District 1 Mentor and Victor of the 100th Hunger Games)**

I can't believe I used to resent being left out of my families night before the reaping meetings, I mean of course I felt bad about being the only member of my family not involved but after listening to my dad rant about the suspension of volunteering for the last hour and a half has rattled me to the point I never want to do this again.

"I mean how can they just 'decide' to change something so fundamentally important to the culture of the games? I could stomach it as a Quell twist but an in general dozen year ban is just….Unacceptable."

"What are we going to do about it, dad? It's not like the president really cares about how any of the victors feel about this."

"Concord don't test me, not on this. I've spent almost ten years preparing this year's volunteers for the games and in the blink of an eye the president shits on all my hard work."

"First off dad it's all of our work, mom, Verity, Concord, and I put just as much work into training and preparing these tributes as you did. Not to mention that this just makes it harder for Velvet and Verity, they're the ones that have to mentor two completely unprepared tributes instead of just lining up sponsors and enjoying the show."

Leave it to Justice to be the voice of reason, when he beats mom to it that is. I really hadn't stopped to think about how this would affect me or any of the other mentors for that matter, I mean the outer district mentors are used to having unprepared tributes every year so the only change for them is the age, but for my fellow career mentors and I this is going to be a hell of a gut check.

"That's an excellent point Justice, and it's also why I'll be mentoring with Verity this year instead of Velvet."

"What?!"

Suddenly every eye in the room is on me, each of them hoping I'll quickly correct my shocked outburst before my dad has to ask me what I mean. The problem is I don't know how to do it, I mean my dad mentored me in the quell but that was the first time he'd mentored since he did it for Concord in Ninety Seven. At this point, I didn't think he cared to do it anymore unless his legacy is at stake that is.

"Do you have a problem mentoring with me Verity?"

"Of course not dad, it's just unusual for you to mentor outside the family is all."

"Verity has a point dear, you've only mentored three times in the last twenty years and it was for the kids."

"I'm well aware of that Guilia, but if this is going to be the new normal for the games it's time for me to take a more active role in the Capital portion of things."

"That's all well and good dad but have you brought this up with Velvet, not to mention Cashmere and Gloss?"

"As a matter of fact Concord I have, and while Velvet isn't too keen on being pushed aside Cashmere and Gloss think it's an excellent idea. After all, I'm the mentor with the most victors to his name and I'm the only elder statesmen in the district with the desire to get back into the grind."

Well, this is certainly an unwelcome twist for me, not only do I have to mentor a completely unprepared kid but now I'm stuck doing it with my dad. I mean my dad is exceptional at what he does there's no doubt about it, but he's incredibly involved and intense when it comes to the games. It's a benefit in the training center to be sure but I'm not sure how well it's going to play in the Capital, especially with such young tributes and none who chose to be there. I'm not sure how dad's going to react if one of our tributes breaks down or loses their temper with him, it's not like he's going to be able to send them home from training or restrict them like he can in the academy.

Then again it doesn't look like he's giving me much of a voice on the matter, and once my dad makes up his mind there's nothing anyone can do to change it. So for better or worse it looks like my future tributes and I are stuck with Hank 'The Tank' this year, I just hope he's as ready for the challenge as he thinks he is. If not, our tributes could be making a quick exit this year.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello all, I just wanted to explore the feelings of one of my earlier victors and get a closer look at how a group of mentors from a career district feels about the President's twist. It also give me a chance to update everyone on where we are as far as submissions and give everyone a little more info on the story.**

 **So far we're at 11/24 tributes and I'll post a list at the end but there are a few things I'd like to get out of the way first.**

 **1\. If the spot is already filled please don't submit for it even as an alternate. I try not to turn anyone away but if I get a tribute for the District 1 female slot and her alternates are 2 and 4 I can't take her as all those spots are filled. This also applies for sending in one for an open spot but having the alternates filled if I can't place the tribute I can't use them.**

 **2\. Please only submit tributes that meet the age requirements. I've gotten a few good ones that were just too old to use and to old for me to just age down a little. The ages are 12 and 13, so please submit accordingly. :)**

 **3\. Finally please oh please** **no Mary Sue tributes. I understand the definition of this changes based on author but in general please don't submit a 12 or 13 year old version of Katniss or Cato, I generally try not to turn any submission away but I will for ones like that. It's unrealistic to have a 12 or 13 year old with the level of training and ability of either of them, not impossible but highly unlikely.**

 **Now that the business side of things is out of the way I do want to thank everyone who has submitted so far, even if your tribute was to old I appreciate you taking the time to read and submit all the same, and if you submit a properly aged tribute I'll do everything I can to make them work. I look forward to getting more submissions and to taking this journey with all of you :D**

 **The Altar of Blood Tribute List:**

D1F- Audrie Christison-13(Kgunzrok)

D1M- Topaz Kayden-12(Reader Castellan)

D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13(stop-pulling-on-mariazell)

D2M- x

D3F- Quanta Bomm-13(Ripple237)

D3M- Bryn Snowdon-12(JadeRavenstone)

D4F- Iona Harrowell-13(dreams and desperation)

D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13(HogwartsDreamer113)

D5F- x

D5M- Luell Berring-13(Jabber Blabber Ink)

D6F- x

D6M- x

D7F- x

D7M- Aster Elmore-13(WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper)

D8F- Connor McCormick-13(ezmonee6)

D8M- Archie Razida-13(We're All Okay)

D9F- x

D9M- x

D10F- x

D10M- x

D11F- x

D11M- x

D12F- x

D12M- x


	3. Fallout(Night before the Reapings)

**Joyce Davidson(District 4 Mentor and Victor of the 101st Hunger Games)**

"I understand your feelings Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, but there's really not a whole lot we can do for your son at this point and time."

"This isn't supposed to happen, though, isn't the whole point of the academy to avoid sending unprepared children into the arena?"

"Yes it is sir, but as I'm sure you're aware things like this do happen from time to time and we have to change course as best we can and move forward under the revised rules."

"The best we can, what kind of third rate answer is that supposed to be?"

"Calm down dear, yelling at her isn't going to change the situation any more than it did with the mayor. Why don't you go outside and get some air while she and I finish up….Please?"

I can tell Mr. Johnson wants to refuse but a sharp look from his wife is enough to dissuade him from doing so as he quickly gathers his jacket up off the rack by the door and storms out in a huff closer to a child's tantrum then the angered manly exit I'm sure he was going for. Finally left alone Mrs. Johnson and I exchange nervous looks for a few seconds as the faint echoes of her husband's profanity-laced tirade slowly fade away as he quickly puts as much distance between my small cottage in victors village and himself as he can.

"You'll have to excuse my husband, he's been a little flustered since the announcement."

"We all have, to say it caught us in the academy by surprise would be an understatement. However I'm still not sure what all I can do for your son, I mean there's next to nothing he can learn overnight that's going to be of any real use in the arena, provided he's the selection of course."

"I understand that Joyce, but I'm sure you can understand where we're coming from with this. In the blink of an eye our son went from safe to firmly on the chopping block with every other unprepared kid in the district. I mean Triton's never even gutted a fish little loan trained to fight….I think we'd all feel a lot better if there was something we could do tonight to help him prepare for the possibility of his reaping."

"I do understand but there's still nothing we can do about it, not with the time we have left anyway."

I can tell she's disappointed and under normal circumstances I might even feel bad for her, but after having this same conversation fifteen plus times tonight, I've become a bit numb to the reactions of desperate parents. It's not like I want to see their kids get reaped, hell we had two perfect volunteers picked out for this year before the announcement and now they have to deal with the pain of seeing their one shot at glory being torn away and given to a child barely capable of understanding how to hold a weapon little lone use one. That's the main reason we prevent all but the most advanced of trainees from using weapons until they turn fifteen, to prevent the unprepared ones from becoming overwhelmed tributes.

"I….I understand Ms. Davidson. Thank you for your time, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"The same for you Mrs. Johnson."

I sit there stone-faced as she gathers up her coat and offers me a friendly smile before slipping out and closing the door so softly I have to get up and make sure it's closed tight. Only after I'm sure it is and I see the top of her head round the corner out of my yard do I finally let the tension that's spent the last several hours building up inside me escape as I ball my fists and bring them crashing down on the faux shell end table sitting next to the door.

"Well that was certainly building for a while wasn't it?"

I spin around to find Allure trying to suppress a smile as she stares at me and the mess of papers I scattered about during my outburst and while her snide remark only makes me angrier her gentle gaze and soft giggle manage to overcome my anger as I feel it start to melt away until my anger is replaced by a soft giggle of my own.

"Well, it might not have been that bad if you hadn't left me alone to deal with the last five families."

"First off it was eight, not five and second you left me to deal with Calypso and Hector's families alone so it was only fair."

"Ok Allure correcting a count up is never a good idea unless the higher number is a good thing, and you were far from alone with them."

"Right because Annie was such a big help, the least you could have done with leave Finnick."

"We're not going over this again Allure, besides you asked for Annie."

"Only because I thought she'd actually do something to help me, but you're right there's no use going over it again, it's not like I'm going to be wrong all of a sudden anyway."

She offers me a playful smirk that I quickly return by sticking my tongue out at her and flaring my nostrils while making one of the most childish faces I can muster without breaking down into a laughing fit. My childish behavior stops her in her tracks as she backs off in mock shock before offering her own childish face in retort.

This time, I can't keep from laughing as her face contorts into something vaguely reminiscent of a rather ugly fish my dad caught when I was a kid and within a few seconds of my composer breaking hers does too and we spend the next several seconds laughing hysterically as if we didn't have a care in the world, but like all good things our moment is quickly over and I'm forced to ask the one question I know I don't want to ask.

"So how did they take it?"

"How did who take what babe?"

"Calypso and Hector's families, how did that whole thing go?"

"About as well as one could imagine, they spent the first half of the meeting screaming about how unfair this was to their kids and the second half demanding a refund for the last ten years pf training they paid for."

"The fact that they signed a no refund clause when they enrolled them didn't matter?"

"They didn't seem to think it did, and then again I can't say I wouldn't be just as mad if our positions had been reversed. I mean they've spent a good chunk of change over the last ten years to have their kids trained only to have their moment of glory rudely torn away at the last moment."

"I'm sure there are dozens of families in District Four tonight that would gladly trade places with them."

"I'm almost positive you're right Joyce, but those families have a different mindset then the families of the volunteers do. To them, this is an incredibly unfair act, a punishment of all for the actions of a malcontent and an idiot in Two and a lunatic in One. They don't understand why they're being punished for the other career districts inability to weed out the crazies like we do."

"Maybe you have a point, and there's no telling what's going to happen if the age limit continues after this year."

"You sure know how to look on the bright side don't you Joyce? But enough about all this business stuff you have to be starving."

"I am a bit hungry; did you want me to whip something up real fast or…?"

"No need Joyce, I already made dinner."

"It's not sushi again is it? How many times do I have to tell you Allure sushi is not an acceptable meal every….single….day."

"That's a lie and you know it Joyce, sushi is amazing. However with that being said I didn't make sushi tonight."

"Wait you actually cooked and the house didn't burn down?"

"I start one small grease fire and you act like I tried to torch the district."

"Small that was not Allure; you burned the curtains for crying out loud."

"Only because you distracted me from my work and besides its clam chowder so there was never a serious threat of fire."

"You made clam chowder? Did you, at least, remember to put clams in it this time?"

"You're awfully picky for someone who never wants to cook Joyce."

"With your cooking it's more of a safety precaution then a legitimate issue, after all, I did spend a week in bed after you made fish stew."

"How was I supposed to know the fish was bad?"

"The smell for starters."

I offer her a coy grin as she sends a crumpled up napkin sailing toward my head as she retreats playfully into the safety of the kitchen before I can retaliate. I quickly follow and find two bread bowls filled to the brim with the rich and creamy soup and two glasses of milk waiting on the table as she smirks at me with her most triumphant look she can muster without laughing.

"Wow, Allure, when did you find the time to make bread today?"

"I think it was between your third and fifth meetings, but I could be a little off."

I offer her a grateful smile as I slip into my chair and take a small sip of milk before scooping a heaping helping of soup out of my bowl and bringing the steaming contents gently to my lips. As the first bite slips down into my stomach a soft but persistent rapping at the door tears me away from the one small slice of peace and sanity I'd managed to find during this hectic day.

I mouth Allure a silent apology as I quickly push myself away from the table and head to the living room for what I'm sure will be close to my twentieth time having the same conversation. As I reach for the door Allure wraps me in a reassuring hug and plants a soft kiss on my cheek before slipping into the chair on the far side of the room and waiting for me to let our guest in. As I open the door I can't help but shake the feeling that this is going to be a very long night.

* * *

 **A/N: Well when I started this chapter my main intent was to give everyone an update on where the tribute count was but I got the last submission in just before I published the chapter. So we're finally done collecting tributes and I should have the first tribute chapter out this weekend :)**

 **My second goal was to get yet another look at how a career district was reacting to the news while also getting my last previous victor into the story before we get down to the nitty gritty. The fact that Joyce might be my favorite victor to have written played no part in this decision ;) lol**

 **I'm going to keep this story with the same basic format as my last three which means only 1 reaping chapter, 1 train ride, 1 justice center, and so on. I'll also be revisiting the everyone gets a training POV again like the last story and everyone will also receive an interview POV, in short every tribute has a guarantee of 3 POV's before the bloodbath.**

 **So as I said the first actual tribute chapter will be out this weekend and as always please review and let me know what you think. I look forward to seeing all of you at the next update :D**

 **The Altar of Blood Tribute List:**

D1F- Audrie Christison-13(Kgunzrok)

D1M- Topaz Kayden-12(Reader Castellan)

D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13(stop-pulling-on-mariazell)

D2M- Alex Trake-13(chocolate chip homicide)

D3F- Quanta Bomm-13(Ripple237)

D3M- Bryn Snowdon-12(JadeRavenstone)

D4F- Iona Harrowell-13(dreams and desperation)

D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13(HogwartsDreamer113)

D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13(xQueen-Of-Applesx)

D5M- Luell Berring-13(Jabber Blabber Ink)

D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12(We're All Okay)

D6M- Aldrin Derino-13(LokiThisIsMadness)

D7F- Sequoia Sable-12(Ripple237)

D7M- Aster Elmore-13(WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper)

D8F- Connor McCormick-13(ezmonee6)

D8M- Archie Razida-13(We're All Okay)

D9F- Alden Devaire-13(CreativeAJL)

D9M- Jamie Dexton-12(grimbutnotalways)

D10F- Fern Shelton-13(Mystical Pine Forest)

D10M- Dargo Avene-12(CreativeAJL)

D11F- Iliana Alder-13(dreams and desperation)

D11M- Moriah Trace-12(Jabber Blabber Ink)

D12F- Brooke Kolstad-13(Skyflapple)


	4. Chances(Pre Reapings)

**Brenton Aldair-13(D12M)**

I'll never understand why no one else in my family enjoys walking around in the Seam. I mean I understand why my dad and Lambert don't but they've always thought they were better than everyone else so for them walking through the Seam would be tantamount to torture, but I can't for the life of me understand why Kalique and Cobell hate this place.

"Brenton….Brenton wait for me!"

I stop and spin around to see my best friend Dayla sprinting toward me her long blond hair flipping every which way as she tries to squeeze every ounce of speed out of her legs she can. I offer her a welcoming smile and wave as she quickly closes the last few feet between us only to crash into me with the force of a runaway train. I manage to roll her off me and scramble to my feet in time to offer her my hand as she attempts to pull herself back to her feet, her pale cheeks a cute shade of scarlet at the embarrassment of having tackled me in front of half the district.

"Sorry Brenton, you were closer than I thought you were."

"Sure I was, and I'm sure that one jarring tackle was a total accident too. Right?"

"It...It was. I'm so sorry, did I hurt you or something?"

I want to keep my tough guy persona up for a little longer but I can't think of anything else to say and the hurt look in her eyes is almost too much for me to handle anyway. I feel my previously impassive face slowly give way to a big grin and by the time I start to laugh she's all but howling herself.

"You really had me going there for a second Brenton."

"Did I really? I didn't think I was a good enough actor to pull that one off on you Dayla."

"Well you are, so try not to do it anymore. For a second, I thought you might really be mad at me."

"How could I ever be mad at you Dayla? I mean you and I have had our ups and downs but you're my best friend, but I do have a question?"

"Of course you do Brenton. Well out with it, just because you're cute doesn't mean I want to stand here like an idiot all day."

"I...I'm….I'm what?"

"I called you cute Brenton, it's the easiest way to fluster you after all."

"It is not, you….You take that back right now Dayla!"

"Or what?"

"I….I….I don't know. Why do you have to be so….So."

"So what, cute, annoying, playful?"

"Well, the last two for sure, the jury's still out on the first one."

"Now who's being mean?"

"I never said you were mean Dayla, I just….You're doing it again aren't you?"

"Doing what Brenton?"

"You are aren't you. Come on Dayla this isn't fair, I'm not as good at this as you are."

"Ok, I'll stop trying to befuddle you, Brenton, now what was it you wanted to ask me a moment ago?"

What did I want to ask her, I mean I can see the thought pattern clear as day in my mind but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. It takes me a second and in the brief pause between us while I'm thinking the unmistakable roar of a hovercraft snaps me back to reality and I instantly remember what my question was, and if the look of fear in Dayla's eyes is any indication she's guessed my question as well.

"Can we not talk about that Brenton, I'm scared enough as it is without talking about it too."

"Why are you worried Dayla, there's not a chance of you getting reaped. Hell, I have a better chance than you do and mines almost zero as it is."

"How can you be sure, though, I mean all the older kids are out and with my two sisters and my mom and dad I'm in the bowl six times and it's only my first year."

"True, but there are girls with twice as many slips in as you. Add in the fact that the twelve and thirteen-year-old girls pool is almost half again as big as mine and you're as safe as safe can be. Relatively speaking of course."

"Are you really telling me to take solace in the fact that somewhere out there in the district is another girl with a better chance of dying than me?"

"I didn't mean it that way Dayla, I just meant that it's not going to be you is all."

"I'm….I'm sorry Brenton, I shouldn't have acted like that. After all, you're just trying to help me feel better."

"Look I was just as scared last year, it's a normal thing to be afraid of this time of year. Just know that you're going to be ok, and if by some miracle you do get reaped I'll be volunteering to help you just a few seconds later."

"You can't volunteer this year Brenton, the president won't let you."

"One that ugly lady on t.v. can't stop me, and two you're not getting reaped so I'll never have to test their conviction on this anyway. Now come on and let's get something to eat before the reaping, I'm starving."

"Didn't your mom make you breakfast?"

"I didn't stick around to find out, after listening to Lambert tell me the changed the rules to ensure little snot-nosed punks like me get reaped all night I left before anyone else woke up."

"Lambert's a real ass Brenton….Pardon my language but he really is."

"That he is, but today's not about him it's about us. So let's go get some food and plan the rest of our day, I'm told it's a good time in the Seam after the reaping if you're not one of the reaped ones that is."

"I wouldn't know Brenton, I'm not one to go out and celebrate someone else's misfortune."

"Then we'll find something else to do, but first we eat. I refuse to stand in the square and sweat profusely on an empty stomach, come on."

I grab her by the hand and take off at a quick jog toward a small fruit stand near the outskirts of the Hob where the two of us search through a basket of spoiled fruit in search of the one or two edible pieces most likely buried at the bottom of the basket. As I sift through the squishy piles I catch sight of Dayla smiling and for a moment, I feel the same little fluttering feeling in my stomach that always seems to happen when I'm with her. I'm not sure what it is but I know that I like it, at least, I think I do. Then again there's no reason to worry about it or try to rush into anything, after all, the two of us have a long time to decide just what this feeling might mean for the two of us.

* * *

 **Brooke Kolstad-13(D12F)**

I hate today, I mean I miss Hilt every day but reaping day is especially hard for my mom and dad which makes it that much harder for me too. I can't stand what today does to my mom and dad, I know they don't blame Onyx or any of the other mentors for what happened to Hilt, at least, my mom doesn't anymore, but I can still see the hurt in their eyes every time the four of them walk out on stage and Hilt isn't with them.

"Stop this Brooke, getting yourself all worked up before the reapings isn't going to do anyone any good."

I slip out of the relative warmth of my bed and set my bare feet on the cold floor below. I immediately regret this and it takes all my willpower not to yank my feet back into bed and curl up in the safety of my blankets. Instead I quickly scoop up a pair of socks from the basket beside my bed and slip them on and make my way out of my room and into the kitchen before I can think twice about it.

I do my best to move as quietly as I can as to not wake up my parents but my caution is pointless as the two of them are already sitting at the table having coffee and talking quietly when I walk in. My mom turns toward me and offers a rather warm but clearly forced smile as she brushes the last vestiges of tears off her cheek before getting up and wrapping me in a rather forceful hug.

"Sorry baby did your dad and I wake you?"

"Dear if I know Brooke she's probably been up just as long as we have, the only reason she's just coming out now was for our benefit."

"Don't be so cynical Burnet, I'm sure she just woke up."

"Actually mom dad's right, I've been up for a little while now."

"Then why are you just coming out now? Is everything ok babe?"

"Everything's fine mom, I was just thinking is all."

"Well because you spent so much time 'thinking' you're going to have to eat fast if you want to do it at all. We don't want to be late for…."

"Do you have to bring that up now Burnet?"

"Is there a better time to bring it up Charity?"

"Guys please don't do this, not today at least."

My plea falls on deaf ears and before I know what's happening my parents are embroiled in a battle of wills as my dad tries to undo the damage while my mom breaks down in tears while flinging accusations at anyone and everyone she can think of. After a few seconds, it's pretty hard to decipher just what's being said but I manage to pick up words like Onyx, Haymitch and make you proud before I can't take it anymore.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!"

My outburst catches my parents by surprise as it's a rare event for me to raise my voice even in the heat of the moment and for a second the two of them just sit there in a stunned silence, until my composure shatters and I break down in tears.

"Brooke I'm...I'm sorry, your mom and I kind of forget just how hard this time of year is for you. We just….Let our emotions get in the way and that's not fair to you."

"Your father's right, we tend to forget just how close you and Hilt were before he….Before he died."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, I know this is hard for you guys too. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get ready for the reaping."

"Do you want me to fix you some food first Brooke?"

"No thank you mom, I'll eat when I get home."

I quickly slip out of the room before my composure can break again and only when I'm safely back in my room do I allow the tears to flow freely down my cheeks. I bury my face in my pillow and scream for what seems like forever until my voice finally gives out and the strain of forcing more sound nearly causes me to puke. I lay on my bed for a few more seconds before rolling off and wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my night-shirt as I shuffle towards my closet and grab the first remotely dressy looking thing I can find and slipping it over my head before I can change my mind.

It takes me a minute to adjust my dress and to my relative surprise I managed to grab the soft green one that seems to be the only one that doesn't require me to carry the hem while I'm walking. I take another second to adjust it properly before putting my hair up in as good a bun as I can manage on my own before slipping back out of my room to find my parents waiting by the door, both their faces slick with tears though they both do their best to avoid me seeing it. As the three of us head out the door and join the moving mass toward the town square I can't help but feel bad for them, I mean sure I lost my brother to the games but they lost their son, their first-born and now they have to worry about me too.

As we turn the corner and the Justice building comes into view I decide to do something nice for the two of them tonight, after all Hilt told me to take care of mom and dad when he got reaped so the least I can do is cook them a nice dinner tonight, give them a little peace and happiness on this most terrible of days.

* * *

 **Luell Berring-13(D5M)**

"Luell, Abner I'm not going to tell you again, hurry up and get ready so you can eat before we leave."

"It's Abner's fault mom, he's hogging the bathroom."

"He's lying mom, I've been out for almost five minutes. He's just avoiding going in and brushing his teeth like he should."

"Luell go brush your teeth, and Abner if you're done then get down here and eat. NOW!"

My brother Abner sticks his tongue out at me before darting out of the room just inches ahead of the balled up shirt I tossed at his head. Resigned to my fate I pick up my shirt and do the best to smooth out the wrinkles before slipping it over my head and heading into the bathroom where much to my surprise I find my dad waiting for me with an annoyed look on his face.

"Come on Luell your mom is having a fit because you're not ready yet and I'm on the receiving end of ninety percent of her wrath because of it."

"Why? It's not your fault Abner and I are slow."

"No, but she's convinced that I told the two of you to drag ass like this to make her mad."

"But you did tell us to do it dad, and that was the exact reason you quoted when you told us too."

"Shh Luell, you don't want you, mom, to hear you saying that do you?"

"Wouldn't that just shift the trouble off me and onto you, though?"

"Possibly, but it might just get you grounded this weekend too."

My dad makes a good point, and as much as I like to be a part of his jokes on mom sometimes they get too complicated or turn bad quick like this one did. Then again I don't know what possessed my dad to pick reaping day to play this joke on my mom, I mean a school day would have been just as good and not have run the risk of getting us in real trouble.

"I'm sorry dad, I'll hurry up. Also I didn't mean to make mom mad or anything like that."

"It's not your fault son it's mine, I was hoping this would help her laugh a little and relax after last night's announcement but it seems to have had the exact opposite effect. However we're only exasperating it by talking so brush quick and get down stairs before she blows her top."

For half a second I'm tempted to see just what that might look like but I think better of it and quickly brush my teeth and slip my shoes on before bounding downstairs and slipping into my chair at the table maybe half a second in front of yet another call from my mom to hurry up.

"It's about time Luell, here's your oatmeal. Now eat quick so we can get to the reapings before the two of you are late."

I hate oatmeal, like if I was starving and all there was to eat was oatmeal I'd almost rather starve, but one curt look from my dad kills any potential rebuttal from me and I try to power through the bowl as quick as I can. It takes a little effort and more than one more look from my dad but I manage to finish my bowl without gagging so at least I have that to be proud of.

"I'm done mom, and so is Abner."

"Well, this is certainly a change boys, normally it takes me a half-dozen threats to get you to eat breakfast that fast. What did you break?"

"Nothing mom, well nothing that wasn't already broken anyway but that was all Abner's fault."

"Tattletale!"

"Enough you two, Edric when we get home discipline Abner please."

"Of course dear, I have just the punishment in mind."

"For the last time, Edric reading comic books isn't a punishment."

"You don't do it for fun dear."

"But they do hun, now hurry up and put your bowls in the sink and let's go."

Abner and I put our bowls in the sink and I run a little water in them while my parents get their jackets on and fetch ours out of the closet.

"I can't believe you rated me out Luell."

"Come on Abner mom already knew we'd broken the lamp in the room, me lying would have gotten both of us in trouble instead of just you."

"Still you said you wouldn't tell on me, you lied."

Man, my brother can be a pain, then again maybe it's because he's so much like mom and I'm more like dad. Either way, he'll get some crap punishment that I'll end up helping him with anyway and I'll make it up to him with a new comic book this weekend. After all, I've got plenty of time to make it up to him.

"Boys let's go, you're going to be late!"

* * *

 **Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13(D5F)**

"Mom will you take Rory please, he won't sit still for me."

"What's wrong Emi I couldn't hear you in the other room?"

"Will you take Rory so I can finish getting ready please?"

"I thought you were already finished dear."

"I was until Rory threw up all over my dress, now I have to change before I go."

"Why's that dear, you hoping to impress someone?"

Leave it to my dad to ask a stupidly uncomfortable question at a time like this, I mean even if I did it's not like I'd want to go to the reapings covered in mashed banana barf anyway. I roll my eyes and pass my very upset little brother off to my dad while my mom tries to suppress a laugh at the sight of me as I dart back upstairs and into my room where I quickly strip off my puke covered dress and tear through my closet in a vain attempt to find something even half as good looking. Finally I'm forced to settle for the only other clean one that doesn't require me to change my underclothes for fear of them showing through the fabric.

I quickly slip it on and head back downstairs where my parents are fighting tooth and nail with Rory to get him to put his jacket on. I offer an exasperated sigh and shake my head at him even as I bend down and gently slip the slick polyester fabric around his shoulders before giving him a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Rory why do you have to be such a little terror?"

"Nut uh."

"Yes you are, would your big sister lie to you about this?"

"Muh hu."

"You think I'd lie, me?"

"Muh hu."

"Mom are you and dad filling my siblings head with nonsense again?"

The three of us enjoy a good laugh at this while Rory stares up at us as if we'd all lost our minds and he's not sure if he should find them for us or join in the fun. I quickly scoop him up in my arms and plant another kiss on his forehead before the four of us slip out the door and head towards the town square and the reaping.

To say I'm nervous about this year is an understatement, I mean the odds of someone from Five volunteering were slim to none but I still felt a whole lot safer with five other age groups ahead of me with slips in the ball. This year I think the max number of slips any one girl has in the ball is seven and Neralia has three younger siblings and her dad has been out of work with a broken back. I mean I don't want to see anyone get reaped for the games but I really hope it's not her, it'd be so unfair for the one time she took help to lead her to the games. Then again I hope it's not me either, or anyone else I know, but with only two age groups it's almost certainly to be someone from my age. After all we have at best twice as many chances of getting reaped as one of the twelves does, sure there are outliers on both ends but in general everyone my age as twice as good a chance of getting reaped as they do. it's just not fair that us little ones are being punished for the older kids mistakes.

"Is everything ok Emi? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, just a little nervous is all."

"I see, Edna take Rory and go find us a spot. I'll make sure Emi get's checked in then I'll be over."

My mom looks like she want's to protest but instead she just takes Rory from me and heads away while he tries to squirm out of her arms and back into mine. After a few seconds of silence my dad turns back to me and with a serious look I've never seen from him before wraps me in a hug before whispering into my ear.

"It's ok to be afraid Emi, your mother and I are terrified too."

"You both seem so calm though."

"We have to be dear, if you or Rory saw just how scared we are how do you think you would react, little loan him?"

"I….I think I understand dad. But what do I do if it's me, how do I…."

"It's not going to be you Emi, there's no chance of that."

"But there is, I mean sure it's a small one but it's still a possibility dad."

"It's not going to happen Emi so there's no reason to worry about it."

"I hope you're right dad, I don't know what I would do if I got reaped."

"You'd be the same strong and independent young women you already are, and you'd find your way home to us a victor."

I throw my arms around my dad again and give him the biggest hug I can muster before a peacekeeper storms up and tears me from his arms and shoves me into one of the check in lines. As I shuffle forward with the other late arrivals I can't help but wonder who among us in line and those already waiting in the square is about to have their lives destroyed, and if any of this will make up for the crimes none of us actually committed?

* * *

 **A/N: First off a special thanks to LokiThisIsMadness, Skyflapple, Jabber Blabber Ink, and xQueen-Of-Applesx for Brenton, Brooke, Luell, and Emiliana respectively. Well this takes care of the Pre Reapings chapter and I hope to have the Reapings up around Wednesday as long as I can force myself to do my homework for my English class in a timely manner. But enough about me, on to questions :)**

 **1\. What did you think of the first batch of tributes?**

 **2\. Did any of them really jump out and grab you as characters?**

 **3\. How was the chapter overall?**

 **4\. What can I do to make each chapter more enjoyable for you as a reader?**

 **Other then that as always please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and the tributes we just met. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing all of you at the next update. :D**


	5. Opportunity(Reapings)

**Antonia Bismarck-13(D2F)**

I don't think I've ever seen the district this joyless on reaping day. For as long as I can remember today has been the best time of year, the parties are amazing and everyone is just in a generally cheerful mood; today however I don't think I've seen a single joyful person little loan heard any type of celebrating or revelry. I wonder if it's like this in the other career districts too.

"Everyone is so, drab for some reason. What do you suppose is causing it?"

Leave it to Livilla to ask the one question I don't have a real answer for, I mean I can speculate but if I've been taught anything in life it's not to make a judgment without all the facts. I mean some of the facts are pretty clear and it's obvious that most if not all the reason we're currently in this mess is the fault of that….Heathen Wilock. He's the one that destroyed our district's reputation and forced us down into the mud like animals, and a part of me thinks that most people blame our victors and academy trainers for choosing him to volunteer in the first place, but again I don't know for sure so it's best if I don't say anything about it at all.

"Who knows, maybe everyone is still in shock from last night."

"You're probably right. So do you want to come to my house for dinner and a sleepover tonight? My mom said it was ok for you and Cleo to stay as long as we ask your parents too, she doesn't want a repeat of the time I came over before clearing it with your mom and dad."

Why does she have to bring that up again and again? I mean sure maybe my parents overreacted just a tiny bit but it was my fault, I mean how was I supposed to know they'd react the way they did to a formal reprimand from the training center? I mean sure maybe it wasn't a great idea to throw a training knife at my instructor but it wasn't like he didn't have it coming.

"I'll ask after the reaping and speaking of Cleo do you know where the hell she is?"

"Not off hand, but if I know her she'll make a dramatic entrance with what she'll insist is the juiciest little morsel of gossip ever only to forget about it the second Magnus walks out on stage."

"How did I ever end up with you two oddballs as friends?"

"Well with me it was obviously because you needed someone with an imagination to keep you interested. As to Cleo id assume you like her because she dislikes the privileged popular kids at the training center as much as you do, and me, well when it comes to the Antonia and Livilla clique I tend to let Antonia decide who's worth having around."

"You're always going to make me lead aren't you?"

"As long as you keep doing a good job and letting me have input on what we do."

The two of us share a little giggle at her comment but the sound is so out of place in the dreary silence of the square that I stop and cut her off before anyone can discover where the noise was coming from. Instead, the two of us continue to whisper quietly amongst ourselves until Cleo comes racing toward us with a smile so wide I'd swear she's about to split her face in two.

"Hey you two, I was worried I wouldn't find you before the reaping started."

"Well we've been here for close to an hour, maybe you didn't look hard enough?"

"No, I'm pretty sure you guys were hiding, then again Antonia's never been a good hider so she must have been taking cues from you."

"Hey I'm not a bad hider; I just prefer not to is all."

"Well if you'd practice it more you'd be that much more deadly in the arena; provided any of us ever gets the chance to volunteer that is."

"I still don't get why anyone would want to volunteer, I mean wouldn't it be better to just make the best of the situation you have?"

"Well that may work for a patient, smart person like you; however Antonia and I are ladies of action, we crave the excitement and thrill of the games."

"Well that's not exactly true Cleo; I don't actually think I'm ever going to be chosen to volunteer so I've already started planning for what comes after my time in the academy is over."

"Oh, little Antonia has a big dream, how juicy. Well spill it then, what's your big plan for after the academy then?"

"Well, I'm thinking about joining the Peacekeepers like my brothers Trajan and Hadrian. I even had Trajan send me the medical and mental evaluation sheets for my parents to sign."

"I never pictured you as a peacekeeper but it really does suit your personality. What do you think Cleo, will she make a good peacekeeper?"

"I guess, as long as she gets stationed somewhere cool. I mean what happens if you get stuck in Twelve and have to live in the mines with the rest of the population?"

"For the last time Cleo the people in Twelve don't live in the mines, they have houses just like everyone else."

"That's not what I heard from one of the initiates at the peacekeeper academy. He said his brother lived in the mines for his entire two-year posting."

"Was this the same person who told you they sleep in trees in District Seven?"

"The very same."

As soon as I hear that I immediately tune the rest of the conversation out, I mean I'm willing to give anything at least a skeptics glance but this guy has Cleo believing anything he tells her, and I for one refuse to believe the peacekeepers in Seven live in trees anymore then the ones in Twelve live in the mines. Livilla, however, is eating it up so I let them talk for a few minutes until the crash of a gong snaps me back to reality as what little chatter was present in the square immediately dies down.

"Welcome people of District Two to the reaping for the One Hundred and Third Annual Hunger Games! As always I'm Magnus Ballantynn and it's my extreme honor to be your district escort. Now as I'm sure all of you know we have a slightly different set of rules this year but I'm confident that District Two will once again set the standard for greatness in the games. Now without further ado let's find out who our lucky female tribute is."

As he struts toward the female reaping ball I can almost swear I feel the air being sucked out of the square as nearly every eye in the district is on his mauve colored hand as he gently swirls the slips of paper about before finally picking one from the mass and making his way back to the microphone.

"Our female tribute will be…. Antonia Bismarck!"

* * *

 **Alex Trake-13(D2M)**

For a few seconds after Magnus calls out the first name nobody moves and it's only after what seems like an eternity that the fact that no one is going to volunteer or even can volunteer finally starts to sink in that I catch the slightest bit of movement from the area roped off for the thirteen-year-old girls. I watch with a passing interest as a girl of relatively normal height with short reddish blonde hair and slightly large eyes gingerly makes her way toward the aisle.

For a moment it looks like that might be as far as she goes but after darting her eyes back toward the crowd she turns toward the stage and with an almost serene sense of calm that was nowhere to be seen a few seconds ago strides up on stage and offers everyone a radiant smile before calmly taking her place in front of the girl's reaping ball.

"Well it looks like we have quite the warrior on our hands; the other districts had better watch out for you in the arena Antonia."

She offers him a slightly forced chuckle as a few of the girls in the crowd join in, obviously relieved to be out of danger for at least another year. After a few seconds of small talk between Magnus and Antonia that I barely listen until Magnus finally finishes and calls for a round of applause for our female tribute before twirling her about and moving back to his place at the podium.

"Now then let us see which lucky lad will be joining our future heart breaker up in the Capital shall we?"

He quickly bounds over to the male reaping ball and repeats his incredibly painful selection process where he rummages through and seems to touch every scrap of paper half a hundred times before finally deciding on a slip and pulling it out of the ball with a flourish. After he completes his little show he quickly makes his way back to the podium where he opens the slip and announces in a loud clear voice the one thing I never expected to hear in my entire life.

"The male tribute from District Two will be…. Alex Trake!"

For a second I'm sure he made a mistake, I mean there's no way he could have called my name but after a few seconds everyone around me starts to back off and within a few seconds I'm surrounded by a ring of people whose faces cover the entire emotional spectrum from relieved to be safe to absolutely disgusted that I'm going to be representing the district in the Hunger Games.

"Is that you there Alex? Well come on up son and show the rest of Panem what District Two has in store for them."

I'm almost to shocked to move but a part of me knows this is my big chance, the chance to show my parents I'm just as strong and capable as my big brother Hero. My chance to make up for his shortcomings last year that lead to our district being represented by that monster Wilock. My chance to prove to everyone who's ever doubted or looked down on me because I'm not as perfect as my brother how wrong they are and expunge the stain associated with the boys from our district. This is my chance to be a hero.

I plaster the biggest smile on my face I can manage before tearing through the crowd and dashing down the aisle way and onto the stage where Magnus and my destiny await.

"Well you're certainly eager aren't you Alex? So why don't you tell us all a little about yourself so the people watching across Panem can get to know you a little bit."

I take the microphone and in my best impression of the deep, confident, and commanding voice of every volunteer I've ever heard speak at a reaping I deliver my first address to the district and nation I hope to represent as a victor.

"Well, what's there to tell Magnus? Obviously, my name is Alex Trake and in a few short weeks, everyone in Panem is going to know it well as I stand triumphant as the victor of this year's Hunger Games."

"Well you certainly don't lack for confidence Alex. Do you have anything to say to the people here in Two before we wrap this up?"

"Nothing they don't already know, and as for my family well that's a more personal affair and I'd hate to bore people with it."

"Well, it's awfully kind of you to take us into account. Well then if that's everything it's my extreme pleasure to present to you Panem this year's tributes from District Two, Antonia Bismarck and Alex Trake."

Magnus throws a reassuring arm around the both of us and pushes us together to shake hands before the light on the camera winks out and a pair of peacekeepers quickly heard Antonia and I into the cavernous confines of the Justice center, and just as the doors are swinging closed I'm almost certain I hear my older brother Hero lashing out about how unfair all of this is and despite the fear I feel at being reaped I can't help but smile. I may never be as strong, or as fast, or as brave and commanding as Hero but for the rest of my life I'll always be something he'll never get the chance to be…..A Hunger Games tribute, and for the first time in my life I have something he wants and can't have and I can't help but marvel at how good having this one small thing on him feels. I just can't wait to see his face when I come home a victor.

* * *

 **Sequoia Sable-12(D7F)**

I can't stand being in town, the air is stale the people are judgmental and there's nothing green to look at. I mean sure if I crane my neck really high I can almost see the tops of the trees off in the distance but does nothing to help the smell or the stifling closeness of everyone and everything. I just hope that this doesn't take too long, the sooner I'm out of town the better.

I'm kind of surprised how many people are still in the square; after I heard about the announcement I assumed that the square would be almost empty until you get back to the point where the potential tributes stop and the crowd begins. Then again with how little time I spend in town and the increasingly high number of families and communities springing up in the woods closer to good timber finds maybe I should be all that surprised, it stands to reason that they wouldn't have made the rule change if they weren't sure there would be enough potential tributes to make the reapings look legitimate.

It doesn't take long before I start following the rabbit down the hole with this train of thought and within a few seconds my mind has wandered away and left my body standing alone without a care in the world. For a while I simply enjoy the intricate randomness of my own thought patterns as I jump from one seemingly pointless thread to another until a sharp whistle pierces the fog of my bliss and snatches me back to reality.

"Welcome citizens of District Seven and all of you watching back in the Capital to the District Seven Reapings for this The One Hundred and Third Annual Hunger Games. I'm Zipporah Cronin and once again it is my labor of love to represent this fine district as escort for the Games. Now before we get started let us welcome your three living victors. First we have the cunning and ravishing Johanna Mason, victor of the Seventy-First Hunger Games…."

The crowd gives a spattering of complementary applause as our district's oldest and most celebrated victor strides out on stage in a form-fitting floral dress. Even as she creeps ever closer to her fiftieth birthday she's still as lithe and deadly looking as she was in the old videos of her games and with her trademark scowl in full effect it doesn't take more than a glance towards Zipporah to get him to cut off the applause and offer her a seat as obstructed from view as he can.

He proceeds to introduce are two more recent victors in James who won in Eighty-Seven at fifteen and Orchid who just barely missed breaking Finnick Odair's record by three weeks when she won at fourteen in Ninety. AS is customary he then offers each of them a chance to address us and while Johanna declines both James and Orchid jump at the chance to talk to everyone in Seven at the same time, and as I usually do at this point I tune them out and follow the rabbit back down the hole once again.

I don't know how long I'm off in my own little world this time but before too long I feel a sharp jab in my side only to turn and find a small raven haired girl with pigtails jamming her finger in my side with an annoyed look on her face.

"Why are you poking me?"

"You're humming and it's getting distracting; some of us are trying to here so please shut up."

"Sorry, I'll try to keep quiet."

She offers me a contemptuous snort and turns back toward the front just as Orchid retakes her seat and Zipporah moves up to the podium with a stream of tears running down his left cheek.

"That was incredibly moving Orchid thank you. Now I'm sure you're all anxious to get the reaping started so let us get to it shall we? Now as I'm sure you're all well aware the rules for this year are a little different than normal. The first and most clearly visible indication is the significantly reduced number of eligible entrance this year. Now the second change is one I ask all of you in the eligible areas to keep in mind, under absolutely no circumstances will anyone be allowed to volunteer to replace the selected entrant. If your name is chosen then you WILL be competing in the games this year. Now that we've got that little bit of unpleasantness out-of-the-way let us see who our lucky female tribute will be this year."

He quickly floats over to the girls reaping ball and slips his ghostly pale hand into the mass of papers just deep enough that his forest green fingernail extensions are fully obscured by the slips. Lurking somewhere in that ball are five little slips with my name on them and while compared to some girls out here that number is relatively small it still represents a decent amount compared to a normal year. Then again if it hadn't been for the rule change forcing me to take ownership of my sister Cypress's tesserae for her, my parents and I the number would only be one.

It takes Zipporah almost a full minute to decide on a paper and close to another for him to finally make his way back to the podium and read the name of the child whose simple life he's about to destroy.

"Our female tribute this year will be….Sequoia Sable!"

I hear my name but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do? I mean I know I'm expected to walk up on stage and answer his questions and shake his hand all while pretending to be deeply honored by this opportunity. But no matter how hard I try to prepare myself for it the only thing I can think about as I slowly make my way up on stage is that Zipporah's stupid green hair will be the closest I ever get to a tree again….Unless I'm able to end someone else's life and win the games. Why does life have to be so unfair?

* * *

 **Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

Man, that stupid girl is taking her sweet time getting up on stage, I mean sure it's not ideal but come on and, at least, try to move with some purpose. It's not like I and everyone else out here doesn't have better or more important things to do then watch some hazy eyed little pipsqueak shake in fear at her reaping. It's not her fault and I know that but her slow, meandering pace isn't going to placate the outer area peacekeepers who'll be expecting the purchase they made with my brother and his associates to be delivered not long after they get back from town, and as the lowest member on the totem pole I'll be expected to make the deliveries to the farthest-flung areas.

"Well, Sequoia why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

What does he expect her to say? Even in a year when the entire field is going to be weak, this girl is obviously going to be the weakest of them all, hell I'm sure by the time I get back from my deliveries tonight the over under for her survival in the games will be set somewhere around thirty seconds….I better get my money on her early before Erik has a chance to let his judgment creep in and take her off the board completely.

"Thank you Sequoia and might I say I'm thoroughly looking forward to working with you over the next week. Now, why don't you go stand right over there on the star while I go find out who is lucky enough to be joining the two of us in the Capital, besides your mentors that is."

His lame joke manages to squeeze a few pity laughs out of some of the more generous members of the audience but, for the most part, is pathetic joke falls flat and left to die until he finally takes the hint and heads over to choose a slip from the boy's ball. Once again everyone is forced to watch him sift through and touch every single slip of paper he can manage to reach with his bird beak like fingernails until he finally decides to grab what I'm sure was the first paper he touched, and even then he's still not done being stupid as he once again takes an excessively long time to close the roughly fifteen feet between him and the podium and unfold the slip of paper.

"The male tribute from District Seven will be….Aster Elmore!"

"You have to be shitting me, really?!"

My momentary outburst is all I manage to accomplish before my body shuts down completely while my brain tries to process just what happened. In the blink of an eye, I went from running contraband to peacekeepers and loggers in the farthest fringes of the district to Hunger Games tribute, I mean how the hell am I supposed to make that adjustment?! Unfortunately, I'm not given all that much time to decide as my outburst and delay in moving seems to have attracted the attention of a nearby peacekeeper who forcefully reminds me that I'm supposed to walk up on stage after being reaped.

"Move it dumbass, I mean like right now, MOVE IT KID!"

I don't respond verbally but I do manage to engage my brain enough to get my feet moving towards the stage where a very eager looking Zipporah waits beside a still very confused and out of it looking Sequoia while I slowly try to put all of this together in my head. On the one hand, I'm almost assuredly about to die a horribly painful death in the arena, but a part of me can't help but look at this as an opportunity. I mean Larch and I haven't had much of anything since mom and dad died and while working for Erik isn't all that bad I'm not so sure I want to do it for the rest of my life. There's also the part of me that knows that winning would be a quick way to buy Larch and I out of the gang and into a life of comfort and ease neither of us dared to dream of.

I'm not sure how all of this is going to play out but I do know that killing some kid I've never met for the chance to win a life of safety and comfort for my brother and me has got to be easier than killing delinquents and morphling addicts for falling behind on their payments and as much as I hate to admit it with a partner like Sequoia I'm already one step closer to winning then I would be in a normal year. I may not like to think of it in such animalistic and base terms but in the end that's all it is a basic, animalistic show, and I intend to give the Capital a show they'll never forget.

* * *

 **A/N: First off a special thanks to stop-pulling-on-mariazell, chocolate chip homicide, Ripple237, and WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper for Antonia, Alex, Sequoia, and Aster respectively.**

 **Well that takes care of the Reapings and as you can see this pool of tributes is already shaping up to be very interesting. I'd also like to apologise for the difficulty some of you had with the dialogue in the last chapter. As I try and discover the voice for each of these tributes some of the dialogue might come across as forced or overly simplistic and sometimes hard to read, I hope to clean all of that up quickly but I hope you can all bear with me while I try and get these new and amazing tributes down in my writing.**

 **1\. What did you think of the latest batch of tributes?**

 **2\. Did any of them really stand out as characters or potential victors to you?**

 **3\. How was the chapter overall?**

 **Now the next two chapters are the Justice Building Goodbyes and the Train Rides and each of them will cover 3 districts instead of 2, this is because I want to introduce all the tributes before training starts but I've learned that having a stand alone Capital arrival/Remake Center chapter and a parade chapter leave far too much dead air between tributes so I've combined those two events and spread the other districts into the chapters with more room. I hope you all enjoy them :)**

 **As always please review and let me know what you think about the story as I do thoroughly enjoy hearing from you. Anywho I fully intend to have the Justice Center posted this weekend so be on the lookout for that and I'll see you al then :D**


	6. Perspectives(Justice Center Goodbyes)

**Aldrin Derino-13(D6M)**

This is my chance to show everyone what I can do, this is my chance to rise above my station and enjoy the way of life that's always been just out of reach, this is my chance to truly be me. I mean this isn't exactly the most ideal set of circumstances for me to be going into the games, and while I'd have been much more comfortable volunteering in a couple of years this might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

I mean the board hasn't been set up this perfectly for a non-career winner in a decade and for the first time in years, it's really is anyone's game. All I have to do is play my cards right and I'll be the one left standing at the end. As long as everyone's truly playing by the same rules that is.

"Aldrin your father and I want you to know….We want you to know that we love you very much son, and no matter what happens in the games we always will."

"Mom I don't want you to take this the wrong way but if dad really cares about me then he should be here to say goodbye. I mean I'm flattered that you came and the fact that you managed to drag Francis and Claude along is very touching, but that doesn't change the fact that dad didn't come too."

"Come on little bro don't talk like that, someone had to stay with Jr to keep him calm and we both know there was zero chance that mom wasn't coming which meant that dad, Claude or I had to stay back; dad figured you'd prefer to see us is all. Plus I don't think he trusted himself to keep it together."

"Forget crying I've never even seen dads eyes water, how am I supposed to believe that he's genuinely sad about this?"

"Dad is scared for you Aldrin, Francis didn't lie about that. Hell the truth is we're all scared shitless about this, I mean you're his son, you're our little brother and despite how big a pain in the ass you are none of us wanted to see you get reaped."

"Don't get all mushy on my Claude, you wouldn't want to smudge your mascara now would you?"

"I'm trying to be a supportive big sister here, could you, at least, try not to be a little shit for once in your life? You could even just pretend until we leave but for once please try and be serious, this really isn't a joking matter."

Does she think I don't know this? Can she really believe I'm so dense and childish as to think that I'm approaching this as anything but serious? She sees me like everyone else does, they all do and it pisses me off to no end. I mean if my own family sees me as the stupid prankster then how much help are they going to be in convincing the donors here in Six that I'm worth sponsoring in the games? Do they even care that my early backing hinges on how THEY portray me here just as much if not more than what I do in the Capitol?

For a moment, I lose myself in my angered thoughts until a soft rapping at the door snaps me back to reality. For a second I think it's the peacekeepers returned to take my family away but after a few seconds another series of soft knocks follows and I realize that another visitor is probably waiting outside.

I continue to stare stupidly at the door as Francis and Claude move in unison from their respective chairs and head towards the door moments before the knob turns and the one site I'm not truly prepared to see darts past them into the center of the room….Aurelia.

"Were you ever going to invite me in or was I supposed to stand there like an idiot until your visiting time was up?"

"Of course not, I just….Didn't think you were going to come see me off is all."

She offers me a hurt look as her big blue eyes fill with tears and before I know what happened she falls to her knees sobbing as my sister dashes towards her and wraps her in a reassuring hug. For a second the two of them just kneel there in the center of the room Aurelia's long red hair obscuring her face as she sobs uncontrollably as Clause does everything she can to comfort her while my mom looks on in pity and Francis and I stand dumbstruck at the sight unfolding before us.

"Aldrin why am I consoling your girlfriend and not you?"

"Huh?"

"It's not rocket science you idiot it's common sense. Your girlfriend came to see you off and the only thing you can say to her is I didn't think you'd come? Seriously?"

"What did I do wrong?"

"Well for starters you were very uninterested in the fact that she came at all. You were disrespectful and flippant with your answer to her question and you just stood there while she cried her eyes out. Should I go on or do you get the picture?"

"I….I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all of this. The truth is I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing with all this, it's a bit overwhelming. I know none of you asked for this and frankly, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, and I'm honestly scared. I hope all of you can forgive me, especially you Aurelia. I need to know I still have you to come home too."

I make my way to her side and gingerly pull her to her feet before planting a soft and gentle kiss on her lips as my sister wipes the tears from her eyes even as my mom sobs gently into Francis's shoulder. As I tentatively pull my lips away from hers I see the radiant fire in her eyes that attracted me to her in the first place and as I stare longingly into her endless azure pools all the fear and uncertainty I feel starts to melt away.

"Of course, you'll still have me Aldrin….Just promise me you'll do everything you can to come home to me."

She throws her arms back around my neck and buries her face in my shoulder even as the door flies open and the imposing form of a peacekeeper strolls in and starts to round-up my visitors one by one until Aurelia and I are left alone in the room even as he returns and tries to tear her out of my arms. I fight to hold on for as long as I can but it's a futile gesture and it only ends up getting her new blouse torn nearly in two as the peacekeeper throws her partially undressed body rudely into my brother's waiting arms before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

 **Kaelia Blitzen-12(D6F)**

Why is my life so unfair, as if it wasn't bad enough that I've had to spend my entire life in the smog-choked gray hell hole my one chance to get out and see the rest of the world is going to end with me in the Hunger Games. It's all just….So unfairly stupid.

I've spent most of my allotted 'visitor time' sitting in silence as my mom laments the cruel twist of fate that has led our family to this moment and my dad fights back the temptation to scold me for my actions during the reaping. Honestly though I'm not sure what he expected me to do, it's not like I ever intended to just walk up on stage with the same stupid glazed look in my eyes most tributes from our district have. Now was making a run for it the best idea ever probably not but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth a try; after all, if I'd managed to get past the guards in the square I'd have had a fairly decent chance of making it out of the district and into the surrounding ruins before the peacekeepers had a real chance to stop me.

"What the hell were you thinking Kaelia?"

Well, that didn't last long. Then again I guess I should be grateful that he held his tongue as long as he did, it must have been eating him up inside to have waited so long to scold me.

"What do you mean dad?"

"You know exactly what I mean. How could you be so…?Stupid?"

"She's was just scared dear, anyone would be."

"Being scared isn't an excuse to run like a frightened mouse or throw a tantrum like a spoiled child and it sure as hell isn't going to get her off the hook in the Capitol."

"The people in the Capitol will realize that she was acting out of desperation and fear and not out of contempt for them or the games. In the end, this might actually be a major bonus for her."

"There's no way this plays well for her Adonna, and you are kidding yourself if you think otherwise. I mean even if her district partner didn't cut the figure of confidence and self-determination Kaelia was so obviously lacking her chances of securing any kind of meaningful support were slim, now with a clearly better option to support from Six her chances are none."

Well, this is a refreshing change, for a second there it sounded like my dad might have actually thought I had a chance of coming out of this alive. I'm sure it was a fleeting thing for him and with his less than supportive stance on my dreams, it very well might have been the hope that my dying brutally in the games will be enough to snap my mom and sister out of what he sees as a delusional fantasy world that they live in. Then again it's not like my mom's pie in the sky hopes that my actions will benefit me are any better, after all once the people in the Capitol pair today with my past it won't take long for me to become the least popular tribute in the games.

"I don't understand why you just can't be supportive for once, she's your daughter Denver, you need to be there for her."

"I'm always there for her, the difference is I'm not going to lie to her face like you are."

"Maybe I'm just not ready to write her off and compose the eulogy before we see the other tributes."

"It doesn't matter if her competition is twenty-two bunny rabbits and her district partner; the fact is she's going to get slaughtered because she's too impulsive and refuses to think before she acts. She's going to get slaughtered because she refuses to pull her head out of the clouds and deal with reality; she's too busy dreaming about a world that doesn't exist to survive in the one that does."

Well this is terrific; as far as my dad's concerned I'm already dead and my mom's stuck in a fantasy world where good vibes and happy thoughts are enough to save me. Then again maybe this is all for the best anyway, maybe it's time for me to not be here anymore. I mean for all the respect my family gained after the 'incident' I've always been a social pariah that prevented them from banking on the goodwill my stupidity earned them. Maybe once I'm gone my dad will finally get his wish and his head in the clouds family will straighten out and be the normal one he's always wanted.

"Thank you both for coming to see me off, but I think I'd like to be alone for a little bit before I leave for the Capitol. Give Lira my love and tell her I understand why she didn't come, mom I'll do my best to hold onto the little things that make me special and unique and dad, I'll do my best to make you proud. I know you don't think much of me or how I act but I promise to try not to embarrass you too much in the games."

"Kaelia I didn't mean it like….What I was trying to say was…."

"I know what you meant dad and it's fine. Please just leave, I need to be alone now."

My mom wraps me in a reassuring hug and plants a soft kiss on my brow before taking my father by the hand and leading him out of the room without another word. As the door swings shut and I catch my dad's eye for the briefest of seconds I could almost swear I see a tear. It's not a floodgate like mine or a steady stream like my moms but it's something.

My dad may not think much of my chances but it's still nice to know that a part of him cares enough to cry, even if it is just a few tears. I spend the next few minutes pacing around the room like a caged animal; my thoughts running every which way as the only sound in the room is the slow and rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. Finally, after what seems like forever the door flies open and a helmet-less female peacekeeper with district commander stripes comes sauntering into the room, her hand resting casually on the butt of her pistol.

"I have some good news for you ya little shit."

"Is it really good news commander?"

"For anyone who likes babysitting it is. Per the instructions of President Vale your little outburst during the reaping has earned you a permanent peacekeeper escort until the start of the games."

"What's a permanent escort?"

"It means whenever you're not training you'll have a peacekeeper at your side. This includes when you use the bathroom, when you sleep, when you shower, and anything else invasively unnecessary you can think of."

"That sounds….Fun?"

"It won't be, especially because I'm your permanent escort. Now let's get a move on shall we, I have no intention of incurring the wrath of the President because of your stupid ass."

* * *

 **Fern Shelton-13(D10F)**

I just can't do it, no matter how much I want to come home I know I don't have it in me to kill someone else to make it happen. I'm not strong enough to live with myself or the repercussions of killing another innocent child in cold blood; I just wish I could get my parents to understand how I feel.

"I don't understand why you won't even try Fern. You're all your father and I have in this world that's worth holding onto."

"I know, but I can't stand the thought of living if it means someone else can't."

"She's a gentle soul dear, it's one of the things that makes her so much her mother's daughter."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? That my little girl dying is a good thing because of how much alike the two of us are?"

"Mom I fainted when I cut a sheep while shearing it the other day. Do you really think I'd be able to make another person bleed on purpose when I couldn't stand to be around an accidental, non-lethal wound on an animal?"

"I refuse to believe there's no way you can win though. We've had more than one winner who never killed anyone, what's to stop you from being the next?"

"Dear I doubt they're going to let someone slip through the games without a kill win, not, after all, the extra attention changing the rules has brought anyway."

This is hard for my mom to take and while I can understand why I really wish she'd, at least, try to see this from my point of view. There's so much in life I still want to do and so much left to see and learn, but I could never enjoy any of it if I have to climb over the corpses of the innocent to do it. I can't stand watching other kids at school fight, I couldn't bring myself to hurt the rabid dog that tried to attack our cattle, hell I couldn't watch my dad put down the one cow the dog got ahold of before I drove it off. I can't stand the sights or sounds of pain and the thought of having to cause it makes me sick to my stomach.

"I'm not saying I couldn't try but dad has a point. The chances of me slipping through and surviving long-term are non-existent if I don't kill, and I….I can't bring myself to do that, I just can't. I'm sorry mom."

"What about your father? What about me? How are we supposed to cope with this knowing that you have no intention of even trying?! It's bad enough that you're going into the games but I don't know if I can handle the idea that you're not even going to try."

"Dear I'm sure this isn't a decision she came to lightly, if our daughter is anything it's smart and studious. This isn't the kind of thing she'd just decide on a whim and do it."

"I don't care about that Nate, I don't care about any of this. All I want is to have the chance to hold her in my arms again after all of this, and I can't even hold onto that anymore. Not after listening to her tell me there's no chance of her even trying."

"Mom I know this is hard, but I did think it through. Dad's right this isn't something I decided on today, I've always known this is what I would have to do it if I got reaped for the games."

"Have you really thought about it though? Have you thought about all the consequences that could be tied into your decision? What happens to the other tributes in the games this year? What happens to your father and I? What happens to the people in Ten? What happens next year when the president comes down on us harder because you decided you wouldn't play the game?"

"That's not fair mom, I don't have any more control over those things then anyone else does."

"Neither did the citizens and mentors in the career districts when it came to ending up with unstable tributes. That didn't stop the President from punishing everyone for the crimes of the dead though. What happens next year if you blatantly walk off your plate early this year? Who else has to suffer?"

"Dear you can't guilt her into killing to survive. If she's made a decision than she's made a decision and we have to respect it."

"I'm sorry Nate but I can't, I just can't do it."

"You're not going to tell anyone are you mom?"

"Who would I tell that would believe me? Any peacekeeper would assume I'm just another hysterical mother trying to prevent her child from going into the games. Wren and Paige might listen to me but once you're in the arena there's nothing they could do to stop you anyway."

"I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be. At least I won't suffer like so many tributes do before they die; at least it'll be over quick."

I can tell she's not convinced, what's more, is it's painfully obvious the only thing stopping her from crying her eyes out is the fact that I'm doing it to myself. If I was just another hopeless District Ten tribute she'd be a wreck right now, but because I've decided to do this on my terms and on my convictions she can't bring herself to breakdown, not in front of me anyway.

I move toward the two of them and wrap my dad in a hug but mom pulls away before I can do the same to her. I look up at her with hurt filled eyes only to find eyes so very much like mine staring back at me with tears flowing freely down her cheeks from them. The look of pure sadness and longing on her face breaks my heart but it's knowing that what we say now will be the last things the two of us ever say to each other that makes the next words out of her mouth all the more gut-wrenchingly painful for me to hear.

"The fact that it'll be quick is a small comfort at best….I just wish your life meant as much to you as it does to me. I love you Fern, and I always will….Goodbye, my darling daughter."

* * *

 **Dargo Avene-12(D10M)**

I didn't think I'd be able to smile under these circumstances but just having my family with me is almost enough to make this seem like a bad dream, plus there's Toffy and I just can't be sad when I'm with him. The fact that my mom and sisters have just let me sit here and play with him one last time is an incredible relief. I know they want to comfort me, to try to make me feel better about what's about to happen like I try to do for them every day, but there's nothing for us to say that's going to make a real difference. At least Toffy doesn't keep secrets from me.

"Dargo your sisters and I don't have much time left with you; is there anything you want to talk about before we leave?"

There's a million things I want to ask them. I want to ask Kiah how to be open and friendly, I want to ask her how I'm supposed to make friends and allies in the Capitol? I want to ask Paveni how she can switch gears from serious to playful with such ease; how she can go from making fun of someone to a complement without missing a beat? I want to ask my oldest sister Arlina what it is she sees in me worth protecting from the bullies in school? I want to ask my mother why everyone in town looks at me the way they do? I want to ask all of them about dad, but I know they won't answer my questions.

"Drago dear is something on your mind?"

"Nothing you'd be willing to talk about anyway mom."

"Girls say goodbye to your brother and take Toffy outside to relieve himself. I'll be along shortly."

Each of my sisters wraps me in as tight a hug as they can in turn and gives me a kiss on the cheek or forehead before I'm forced to hold Toffy as close as I can and give him one more kiss before handing him over to Kiah despite his whimpers of protest as the four of them slip out of the room and leave my mother and I alone as a very awkward silence descends over the room.

"I sent your sister's away because it's still hard for them to hear about this twelve years later, and there's not a whole lot I can tell you without sitting you down and showing you some of the things your dad left behind but I'll do my best to answer what I can about him."

"Everyone says I'm so much like dad but I don't know a thing about him; what is it about me that's so much like him? What about me reminds everyone so easily of him?"

"For you to fully understand the answer to that I'd have to be able to describe your father in much greater detail than we have time for. The easy answer is you look so much like him, you share his temperament, his thoughtfulness, and his selflessness. I know that's not exactly the answer you wanted but it's really the only one I can give you right now."

"Why won't you talk about him? Why did it take something like this happening to get you to open up to me about dad?"

"Talking about your dad is….Hard for all of us to do. His loss was so sudden and unexpected that it's just not something your sisters and I have ever really gotten over. I know it's not fair for us to never answer your questions but part of what's allowed us to move on from what happened is to not talk about it. In some ways it's a defense mechanism but it's mostly just our own selfishness."

"I don't blame you guys for not wanting to talk about it, especially if it makes you sad to do it. I just wish I knew more about the man that everyone seems to see me as the spitting image of. I just wish I knew what about me is so like this great man."

"What you just said there is a big part of it, your selflessness and willingness to put others first is one of the many traits you share with your father. Your kind and understanding nature is another as is your willingness to help even when you don't have to. All of that and more is what makes you your father's son."

"What happened to him mom? What brought down this giant of a man that's more legend than real in my eyes? What aren't you telling me?"

"I'll tell you what when you get home from the games you and I will sit down and I'll show you everything I have on your dad. I'll tell you anything and everything you want to know. I promise son."

"What if I don't come back though? What if….What if I'm not strong enough to do what has to be done to survive?"

"You have the strength to do this Dargo, you always have. You know more about your father then you think you do, and as much as it pains me to say this it's something I have to do."

"What is it, mom?"

"If you don't make it back any questions you have can be answered by the man himself. He's waiting for us all in paradise, and if you see him before I do….Tell him I love him and that I'm sorry, tell him we all are."

With that my mom wraps me in a tight and loving hug and gives me a gentle kiss on the cheek just as the door is thrown open and a rather amused looking peacekeeper strolls in and tears me out of her arms.

"Times up lady move it, this little guy's got a date with the meat grinder."

"Don't you talk about my son that way."

"Who's going to stop me?"

I can see this is about to get ugly and I know if I don't do something my mom's going to get herself in trouble. The last thing my sisters need right now is to worry about me while mom sits in jail for fighting with a peacekeeper.

"Mom it's ok, the grinder can only hurt me if I don't win, and I plan on doing just that. After all, it's the only way to get all my questions answered."

She offers me a loving smile but the peacekeeper stops her short of wrapping me in another hug as he drags her all but kicking and screaming from the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The last sound I hear from my mother is her complaints about him holding her arm to tight as their footsteps slowly fade away. It's only when I'm finally and truly alone that I let my guard down and the fear I've been suppressing for my family's sake comes rushing up to engulf me. At least no one is around to see my composer shatter. At least no one is around to hear me scream.

* * *

 **Lachlan Melbourne-13(D4M)**

 **I can't believe this shit, I was never supposed to be in this situation and I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I mean sure I'm more than capable of winning the Hunger Games but I'm not supposed to have to do it. That's the whole point of being from District Four is that people like me who don't need to go to the games for a better life don't have to do it.**

Then again this might be my big chance to show everyone just how special I really am. I can eviscerate Finnick Odair's record as the youngest ever victor and do it with the kind of style he never had. I mean when you throw in the fact that I'm basically competing against the lowest tier of competition possible and my victory should be a walk in the park.

"I can't believe you took this from me Lachlan. This was supposed to be my moment in the sun and you stole it right out from underneath my nose."

"It's not like they picked you to volunteer anyway Trentin. Do you really think the academy would have been happy having their hand-picked volunteer jumped over for a second time in three years?"

"It wouldn't have mattered after I won, none of it would have."

"Well look on the bright side; now you can sit at home with mom, dad, and Laika and cheer me on. Who knows I might even let you visit me in Victors Village after I win."

"You really think a scrawny little nothing like you can win the Hunger Games?"

"I think that it's a fun future to contemplate while you sit there and struggle with which of your equally unappealing fallback plans is the right fit for a stuck up self righteous shit like you with zero real skills and no work history on a boat."

"Both of you stop it; this is exactly why mom and dad decide to split your time instead of all of us coming together."

"I never asked for them to do it this way, I can ignore Trentin just as easily with three other visitors as I can with one."

"If it's so easy why do you insist on goading me like a stupid little punk?"

"I didn't realize talking to you about your less the stellar future prospects was a form of goading to you. MAybe you're just a little sensitive that your dreams were crushed and mine realized in the same fell swoop. Or maybe you just don't know how to lose with grace and dignity."

"I'm serious you two, STOP! Trentin your little brother is about to go into the Hunger Games so stop tending to your wounded pride and put that decade of training to good use and give him some pointers."

"Yeah dip shit."

"The same goes for you Lachlan, you need to learn how to converse with people without bickering or talking down to them if you want to get decent allies in the arena."

"Stop talking to me like I'm an idiot Laika, besides it's not like you have any real idea what you're talking about anyway."

"I know more than you think I do."

"Please just because you were friends with Joyce before she won doesn't mean you have any idea about what's about to happen."

"I'm just trying to help. Why do you have to be such a dismissive little shithead all the time?"

"Because despite everyone well-known opinion that my age is a hindrance I'm far from incompetent. The truth is all of you are jealous of me and the fact that I have the chance to make something of myself while the two of you are destined to spend the rest of your lives toiling in my greatness and the shadow of our highly successful parents."

"Well I can't speak for Laika but I know for a fact that there is absolutely nothing about you for me to be jealous of. Even if you do somehow come out of the games alive you'll always have the stigma of not competing against the best attached to your win. Your 'victory' will be as meaningless as any other in history."

"Better to be a someone with an 'asterisked' win then a nobody with no future. But keep telling yourself that you're not jealous of me, maybe you'll even believe it yourself one day."

"Well I've had as much of you as I care to handle in one sitting. I'm going to go let mom and dad know that they still have a son worthy of the family name. Good luck in the Capitol, you're going to need it."

I watch him storm out of the room and it takes all my self-control not to bust up laughing at my valiant older brothers complete meltdown. For the first time in my life I have something he wants and can't have and it's the most amazing feeling in the world. If I could just get Laika to understand how amazing this makes me feel I'm sure she'd take my side on this.

"For all his anger and bluster he is right about one thing, you're going to need a little luck to come out on top of this."

"Luck is for people who lack natural skills like mine, I've already got this in the bag. The actual games are all but a formality at this point."

"Well for your sake I hope it's as easy as you expect it to be. I'd hate to see you find out in the arena that there are some things you can't bully and bluster your way out of. Good luck in the games little brother, and try your best not to get killed."

She doesn't understand, none of them do. I may not have wanted this at the beginning but the fact is that I'm all but a lock to win it. For all their supposed 'love' and 'fear' it all boils down to straight up good old-fashioned jealousy. When I'm standing tall with the Victor's crown on my head they're going wish they'd had more faith in me, but they'll see soon enough. They all will, I will make it so.

* * *

 **Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)**

I don't know why everything has to be so unfair. It's not like I exactly had a long, full life ahead of me but why does the world have to continually chip away at what little time I do have? I mean am I such a bad person that I deserve to have what few moments of joy and happiness I could have had stolen from me in the name of someone else's entertainment?

"Don't look so glum kido, your uncle Stuart and I know you can do this, and we'll be cheering you on the whole way."

I know Khalid means well and he and my uncle Stuart have given me everything I could have ever wanted since I moved in with them nine years ago, but this isn't the kind of situation I can just happy though away like my illness. No if I'm going to make it through this I'm going to have to accept that I might not be the same Iona the two of them know and love when I get back.

"Thank you, both of you for everything. Even if I die the two of you have made the last few years incredibly special. It means a lot to me that you cared enough to do this, it really does."

"Well Khalid and I can't have kids ourselves, and you're such an amazingly beautiful young lady inside and out. I just wish your mother could have pulled herself together long enough to give you a chance."

"Like she really cared anyway."

"Don't think like that honey, my little sister did love you more than you'll ever know. She just didn't know how to live any other way then she had been, and in the end it…."

"In the end it killed her. It killed her and me, that's the part you're forgetting uncle Stuart."

"I haven't forgotten Iona, I never could. Khalid and I struggle every day to find a way to scrimp up enough money to get you the help you need. We just can't make what little we have stretch far enough, even with his yearly bonus and cutting out your once a week training we're still close to five grand short."

"I know and I don't blame you, either of you. I'm just frustrated that every time I find a little happiness to hold onto the world snatched it away. My mom dies and I come to live with you only to find out that my oh so loving mommy left me such a lovely parting gift at birth. Still I forge ahead and try to make the best of the little time I have only to have the Games snatch that away too. Every time I dare to let myself get happy I'm slapped in the face by reality, maybe it's just time for me to accept that I'm cursed."

"I wouldn't go that far, in fact your uncle and I think this might be a blessing in disguise."

"Ok I'll bite. How could this possibly be a blessing in disguise?"

"Think about it like this kid, this is going to be the most wide open games in history. You're smart, personable, better with traps and snares then most fishermen could ever hope to be. Your trainers say you can more than hold your own in a fight, and you're easily one of the most likable people I've ever met. These games are almost tailor-made for someone like you to run the table, hell you might not even have to play into your tragic past with your mom to garner support."

"Why would I want to use her anyway? In case you've forgotten I hate her, and it's not like I'm all that eager to declare my secret open to the scrutiny of every ear and eye in Panem on the off-chance it garners me a loaf of bread or a raincoat in the arena."

"That's not what Khalid meant, at least not how you seem to have taken it at least. There are plenty of ways to use your back story to your advantage without giving that kind of stuff away. However it might be beneficial to at least warn your mentors about it, and maybe your stylist as well."

"Why would I want to tell anyone in the Capitol about this?"

"Because if there are any flare ups or complications while you're in the arena it might be beneficial for your mentors to know what kinds of medicines they could potentially send your for your stylist it's my understanding that both they and your prep team will be touching you at various points throughout the time in the Capitol. It would just be prudent to at least give the stylist a heads up so they can take appropriate precautions before hand."

"I understand what you're saying but I don't see how it would really be a big issue. It's not like the prep team can't afford to treat it easy enough."

"No, but if all of them and your stylist end up with symptoms it could very easily lead back to you as the one new wrinkle in their routine that they all have in common."

"Point taken. Is there anyone else I should tell?"

"Anyone else would be up to you but Khalid and I would advise caution in telling anyone else. No matter how close you might get to the other tributes none of them are going to be your real friends; don't assume you can treat conversations between you and them the same way you do with your friends at home."

Well that one is just about as common sense as advice goes. I mean I didn't plan on revealing anything major anyway but it's still good advice, I guess. I want to ask more but I'm not given the chance as before I can even sort through the jumble of questions in my brain the door flies open and a peacekeeper strolls in with a look somewhere between discomfort and anger.

"Sorry to interrupt Mr. Khalid but your time is up. I need to prep the girl for transfer to the train station ASAP. I'm going to need you to finish up quickly."

"Thank you, Commander Quintus, we were just finishing up. Are you ready dear?"

"I suppose. Take care of yourself Iona, and always remember that we love you, both of us. Win or lose you're already a champion in our book."

"Thank you Uncle Stuart, and thank you Uncle Khalid. I love you both very much, take care of each other while I'm away."

They both offer me a reassuring smile as they slip out into the hall of the justice building; leaving me alone with my thoughts in the room for the briefest of moments. Not long after they leave another peacekeeper returns and leads me downstairs where my district partner, whose name I can't seem to recall waits impatiently while our escort Inala applies what I'm sure is her tenth or eleventh coat of makeup since the reapings ended. She only looks up from her small mirror after my partner makes a point of alerting her to my presence after waiting in silence for the better part of a minute.

"Oh good the straggler has arrived, now we're a little behind schedule but lucky for us the train station is so close. I just hope they clear out the seafood carts from the area before we arrive. It took me the better part of a week to get the smell of fish out last year."

Oh joy, I'm dying my partner just exudes the stoic asshole vibe and my escort is worried about fish stench on what's most likely an outfit that she owns half a dozen versions of. I just hope my mentors are more grounded than these two are if they're not this is going to be a long week in the Capitol.

* * *

 **A/N: First a special thanks to LokiThisIsMadness, We're All Okay, Mystical Pine Forest, CreativeAJL, HogwartsDreamer113, and dreams and desperation for submitting Aldrin, Kaelia, Fern, Dargo, Lachlan, and Iona respectively :D**

 **This takes care of the Justice Center and means not only are we on to the Train Rides but we've also passed the halfway point in the introduction of the tributes. We have one more big chapter then the arrival/parade before we can finally get down to the business of training :) I hope you're all as excited as I am, now then on to questions :)**

 **1\. What did you think of our latest batch of tributes?**

 **2\. Who stuck out the most?**

 **3\. Who was the most forgettable?**

 **4\. Overall which tributes have seemed the most capable/memorable of the 14 we've met?**

 **So I hope to have the next chapter up sometime in the middle of next week but that's dependent on my finishing my History paper and my PolySci report but worse case it'll be up by the weekend.**

 **As always please review and let me know what you think. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing all of you at the next update :D**


	7. Getting Acquainted(Train Rides)

**Topaz Kayden-12(D1M)**

I can't believe I embarrassed myself like that, I mean I'm sure almost everyone who's ever been reaped felt the same way I did but I've never seen anyone else beg for their life and faint. Sure Gold thinks I'll be ok as long as I'm strong from here on out but I have to wonder how much of that is him truly believing it and how much is him trying to be a good big brother knowing he'll probably never have to see me again. I can still hear the last words he said to me as my mother dragged him out of the room, 'Topaz you can do this, all you have to do is apply yourself.' Not that my mom agrees, as far as she's concerned I'm about to stain the honor of our family to the point that only them lifting the age restrictions and gold winning the games with somewhere near twenty kills will be enough to wash the stain of weakness I'm about to cover our name in.

"Now that everything's quieted down a little I guess I should ask if you're ok."

The question catches me off guard but not as much as the noise cutting through the silence that had engulfed the train car since our escort Savera dropped us off and quickly fluttered away to the privacy of her car to 'change out of these dreadful clothes'. Still it's kind of nice to see that my district partner cares enough about me to ask, though whether that's a good thing or a bad thing will be revealed in due time.

"I'm ok I guess, all things considered anyway…..How about you, how are you holding up?"

"I'm great, but I still have a chance at a decent alliance and sponsors in the games. I'm Audrie by the way, I noticed your face was all scrunched up like you were trying to remember or something."

Do I really scrunch my face up when I try to remember things? Why have I never noticed this before, and more importantly if it is true how did she pick up on it so quickly?

"Sorry I was a little overwhelmed at the reaping and the name of my partner wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind."

"It's not a big deal, it's not like we're going to be doing a lot of talking or anything like that."

"What?! Why wouldn't we talk to each other?"

"I just don't think we're going to be working together all that much going forward, know what I mean?"

"I…."

"Ok, I'll just say it then. We're not going to be allies or anything and with each of us having a mentor we'll probably spend most of our time pre-games apart, and once the actual games start I doubt you'll want to be around me at all."

Terrific I've been a tribute in the games for less than two hours and I've already burned an alliance bridge and made a possible enemy. If my luck is running this bad now how on earth am I going to pull it together enough to make a run in the arena? Lucky for me I don't have that long to dwell on it as a few seconds later the door in the front of the car slides open and a mountain of muscle and a strikingly beautiful blonde girl slip into the car before the door shoots shut behind them.

"So you two are the lucky ones chosen to represent our district this year. I have to say so far I'm less than enthused about either of your chances of getting through this alive."

"Chill out dad, I mean we haven't even seen the other reapings yet, for all we know we could have the two most competent tributes in the games."

"That's a nice sentiment Verity, but after the show our little drama queen put on after getting reaped I highly doubt he's the strongest male tribute in this year's games."

Well, things just keep getting better and better for me don't they, not only do I have a sure-fire enemy in the games but now one of my own mentors thinks I'm a lost cause. Seriously I'm starting to wonder if my lot in all this could possibly get any worse.

"However talking about this gets us nowhere and we have precious little time as it is. If you have no objections Verity I'll take Audrie and you can have what's his name, the drama queen."

"I'm pretty sure it's Topaz dad, and why are we flipping genders this year if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well for starters I refuse to mentor someone with absolutely zero chance of winning. It's bad enough that our perfect volunteers were pushed aside but that sniveling coward they call a boy is absolutely worthless. I do have a reputation as someone who trains victors Verity and I refuse to tarnish that for his sorry ass."

"A simple I want her instead would have sufficed dad. Come on topaz let's go talk in the lounge and let Audrie and my dad get better acquainted."

Verity extends me her hand and gently pulls me out of the warm embrace of the plush armchair before quickly leading me toward the door and into the next compartment as her dad fixes himself a drink and plops down into the chair I'd vacated moments before. The door quickly closes behind me as she leads me into the relatively quiet confines of the lounge car where she takes a seat at the bar before motioning for me to join her as an avox quickly makes her way over from the far end to offer us drinks.

"I'll just have water thank you. Do you want anything Topaz?"

"Umm water is fine, thank you for the offer, though."

"Two glasses a bucket of ice and a pitcher please."

The avox quickly slips away and returns a few seconds later with a small tray carrying two crystal glasses and a crystal pitcher filled to the brim with the cleanest water I've ever seen. She also brings what appears to be a platinum plated bucket filled with ice. She places everything on the table and bows politely before slipping out of the room and leaving the two of us alone to talk.

"I wanted to apologies for what my dad said. He put a lot into training this year's tributes and it really hit him hard when the President changed the rules on him."

"I can imagine, my older brother was pretty upset so I can't fathom how hard it must have been on the trainers."

"I thought I recognized your last name, so you're Golds, little brother, then?"

"I am though I wasn't fortunate enough to have inherited any of his natural skills or charisma."

"That's fine, ninety percent or so of that shit is fake anyway. The big question is what skills do you have that I can market to sponsors in the Capitol, what is it about you that's going to make them want to sponsor you?"

"There's not a whole lot really. I'm not overly confident, I'm not strong, I'm not the prototypical good-looking tribute, I'm not brave, I'm scared to die, I'm…."

"Ok I don't need to hear all your shortcomings at once kid, and, by the way, starting off with that list is a sure-fire way to scare off any and all potential allies."

"It's not like I'm going to get a lot of those anyway. If can't even convince my own district partner to give me a chance what are the odds I'm going to convince someone else too?"

"So the two of you already discussed that and she said no?"

"Not only that she laid it out in no uncertain terms that she's willing to kill me if we cross paths in the arena."

"Well that certainly complicates things a little, but it's not the end of the world or anything. As a matter of fact, it could be something we can turn to your advantage."

"How do we do that?"

"Well, you've already proven you're not the prototypical District One tribute so we don't have to worry about dispelling that with your interview. If we can find a way to repackage you as the kind-hearted and caring career who's willing to fight to if he has to you can definitely clean up with sponsors."

Well, at least, Verity still believes in me, and it's not like I have all that much to lose at this point. What the hell if I'm going to die the least I can do is give it my all, after all, that's what Gold would want me to do, and if I can manage a decent showing I might even impress my mom a little.

"Ok say we do go that route, what's the first thing we need to do?"

"Get comfortable Topaz, I'm going to be throwing a lot of information at you pretty quickly. You might want to take notes."

* * *

 **Audrie Christison-13(D1F)**

"So Audrie what about you makes you a winner? What aspects of who you are should I be pressing the people of the Capitol to know about you?"

Truth be told I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that. I mean I've never wanted any of this, for most kids in One it's a dream to be in the Hunger Games, everyone I know has been working towards it for years and the really good ones start as young as six or seven with the basics I've only just covered. That's the whole reason I convinced my parents to let me wait until I turned twelve to send me to the academy, I was hoping they'd get the hint that I didn't want to be a part of all this.

"You're awfully quiet Audrie, that's not necessarily a bad thing most of the time but trying to figure out what your mentor can sell you on to sponsors isn't one of those 'good times'."

"I'm sorry Mr. Sangster, I'm just not sure what my strengths really are."

"That's ok we'll have time to work on your confidence or lack thereof before your interview, but, for now, let's stay focused on how to package you. If you're not sure what to highlight I can start by describing the apparent physical things about you and we can build from there."

"That's not a bad idea sir, at the very least it'll give me something to think about going forward."

"Good, well for starters I think the obvious thing is you're incredibly tall for your age, I'd say about five foot seven or so. You're tall but not quite as tall as Verity is."

"Well I'm five six so you were extremely close sir."

"I'm a pretty good judge of physical traits and talents, it's half of the reason I'm such a good mentor."

"What's the other half?"

"I demand the best from my tributes. Now then you're not the typical blonde tribute either and that's an advantage we can play up. Your brunette locks complement your green eyes and that spattering of freckles amazingly well, in short you have just about the perfect combination of cute and mysterious coming from District One. It's too bad you got forced into the games so young, another couple of years to training and growing you'd have been able to glide through without much effort."

"Thank you, Mr. Sangster, that's very kind of you to say."

"I'm just stating the facts. Now the emotional and mental side are a little harder to peg by looking at someone but in reality, those are only a factor if you're trying to sell a sob story. We're not going to need to go down that road with you, we've got more than enough to work with without trying to wiggle into that mess."

"Why is that a mess, if you don't mind me asking Mr. Sangster?"

"I don't mind at all, and please call me Hank, we're going to be working together after all."

"Ok then. Why is selling a sob story a mess Hank?"

"Because everyone will be trying to do it. With the ages involved, it's going to be a free for all and everyone is going to be trying to sell their tribute as the one with the saddest story. Now those stories make for good pre-game interviews and a hell of a family interview if they make it into the top eight but they don't necessarily endear tributes to big time sponsors."

"But why, after last year won't everyone be pushing for the underdog?"

You're an analytical one I'll give you that. By the way, that's a great trait to emphasize to any potential allies down the road. Having the ability to think and examine things is a very useful trait. Now as to your question, everyone loves to back the underdog but no one wants in really invest in them. Sure some people might throw down a little money on the long shot and if they come through they make a tidy sum, but none of them are going to be pouring money into a tribute they don't think can go the distance."

That makes a weird kind of sense. It's kind of like watching the sparring matches back at the academy, everyone was always cheering for the younger or less athletic kids to beat the top fighters but none of them ever but there simulator or weight room time on the line in those fights, not like they did when two top line fighters fought anyway.

"You got quiet again Audrie, are you thinking or do you just not like talking about this?"

"It's….Not my favorite subject to discuss. That being said I know we need to do it so there's no use in trying to put it off or anything."

"That's a very mature and matter of fact way of looking at things. Can I assume that attitude crosses over into your combat and personal relationships as well?"

"I'm not sure what you mean Hank?"

"The two things that most often derail a victor are bad alliances or keeping good ones to long. Having to carry a weak ally only makes you weaker and forcing an alliance to stay together after it's passed its expiration date only places a greater emphasis on the inevitable collapse."

"I understand what you mean, I'm just not sure how any of that applies to me?"

"It might not, but you do have to be careful with who you ally with in the games. It's not as easy this year as normal because your partner is an obvious flop and you can't judge the other normal career tributes until training starts. In short you're only going to have a brief window to find allies and you can't afford to waste it courting crap ones. On the other side, you also can't afford to force an alliance that doesn't work or keep one together too long it only adds pressure and makes you look needy and dependent. The key is to find useful allies and then discard them the second they stop being useful."

"Ok I'm not sure I really want to know the answer now, but what's the second thing that derails victors?"

"You were paying attention, excellent. The second thing is they play around with their kills, sure a chase is good entertainment and everyone enjoys seeing the winner of a cat and mouse game enjoy their victory but no one wants to support the tribute that takes it too far. It's one thing to beat their face in but quite another to torture them like Precious did a couple of years ago. Do you see what I'm saying Audrie?"

"I think I do and rest assured I have no intention of drawing a kill out any longer than I have to. But I'm not sure how I'm supposed to go about picking allies and I have no idea when to cut them lose or anything like that."

"Picking the right allies is why you have a mentor, we'll work together to put together the kind of career alliance that can truly run the table like it used to. As for when your allies are no longer useful, well that's something you'll have to decide for yourself in the arena. That's where your analytical thought process will come in handy, all you have to do is listen to yourself, and when you know it's time to cut them lose you do it, no hesitations."

He's giving me a lot to think about and as much as I may not like it everything he's said is good advice. I may not want to be in the games but I'm stuck in them now regardless, the least I can do is approach them with a clear purpose and try to get home as fast as I can. I just hope enough of who I right now is able to survive the games with me.

* * *

 **Alden Devaire-13(D9F)**

I'm not quite sure what to make of my district partner, I mean so far he hasn't said more than five words to me but he's been talking to himself almost nonstop since we boarded the train. At first I assumed he was talking to the escort and I'm sure she assumed he was talking to me but once she left the room and he continued on as if nothing had happened I started to get a little weirded out, and nothing he's done since has alleviated my concerns, if anything they've only gotten worse.

"Is everything ok Jamie?"

It takes him a second to realize that I asked him a question at all and another few seconds of mumbling to himself before he finally turns toward me to respond.

"I'm fine given the circumstances. Why do you ask?"

"You've been talking to yourself since the moment we met in the lobby of the Justice Building,"

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have?"

"I'm not talking to myself, I'm talking to my sister Grace."

Well this is definitely shaping up to be quite the experience, my district partner is either crazy or trying to play the crazy card and I'm not sure which one is worse.

"So your sister is on the train with us or…?"

"She is, I was surprised the peacekeepers let her come with me on stage but I was shocked that they let her come to the Capitol too. Maybe they're not as bad as everyone thinks they are."

Terrific he's completely bat-shit crazy, how in the hell did Hyperia manage to pick the one complete loon out of the reaping ball? Like seriously with all the names in the ball how did she manage to pick the most unstable eligible male in the district?

I want to ask him more questions but I don't get the chance as before I can even formulate a halfway decent one the door to the conjoining compartment glides open and our districts only living victors walk in. For his part Oatis looks fairly confident given his abysmal record with bringing tributes home alive, but any confidence I can feel towards either of them is obliterated by the look of pure terror in the eyes of the most recent Hunger Games winner.

"Hello Alden, hello Jamie. I trust everything has been going relatively well for the two of you so far?"

Is this the place for me to tell him my partner is crazy or should I wait for a better time? I mean seriously I don't want to burn any bridges I might need moving forward but I sure as hell know this kid is as unstable as anyone I've met in my life, and considering all the nut jobs I've met at my parents parties that's saying a hell of a lot.

"Everything's been great Oatis, Alden and I have just been getting to know each other a little bit is all."

"It's good to hear that the two of you are hitting it off. See Kimma I told you we'd have nothing to worry about with these two."

"Maybe we should withhold judgment until we hear from Alden? After all, she's the one you were worried about."

"Hold on a second. Why were you 'worried' about me?"

"We can discuss that in private dear, after we get the formal things out-of-the-way. Now then as this is the first time I've had a partner to mentor within years I'm going to be a little rusty on how to divide the attention between two tributes. I hope the two of you will bear with me through this period."

"If it's all the same to everyone I think I'd rather have Kimma as my mentor. As long as that's ok with you Jamie?"

"That should be ok, I guess. As long as they don't object at least."

I turn a questioning eye towards Oatis and Kimma and for a second, I feel like Oatis is going to say no, I don't think he entirely trusts Kimma to go it alone yet. Lucky for me she steps in and offers him a reassuring look before motioning for me to follow her into the car in front of us.

She leads me into a car that makes my parents' home bar look like a pile of crap. Every spirit, wine, and cocktail I've ever heard of and dozens I haven't line the shelves as far as the eye can see. It takes me a second to realize that she's sat down at the bar and is motioning for me to join her while an avox waits patiently with a drink menu in his well-manicured hand.

"Do you want anything before we start?"

I slip onto the stool to her left and take the offered menu with a gracious smile, and to my amazement it looks like there's more drinks to choose from and more combinations of drinks then I could have ever imagined back in Nine. It takes me a few seconds to find something I recognize and even then I'm not sure how to pronounce the ridiculous looking name the Capitol assigned to the drink and after a few seconds I give up and simply lay the menu down and point to the drink instead.

A few seconds later the avox returns and hands me the glass and waits patiently as I take a small sip and offer him a gracious nod before bowing and quickly retreating to the far end of the bar.

"So I guess first things first; your lifestyle back in nine isn't going to compromise your ability to compete in the arena is it?"

"What do you mean my 'life style'?"

"Please don't play dumb Alden, we don't have the time to waste on it."

I should have known this was coming, I mean my family doesn't exactly have a bad reputation back in nine but when you're the only family in the district that can afford to throw a major party every week it doesn't take long for people to start noticing. Not that our parties are anything compared to the extravaganzas Kimma had thrown in her honor after winning last year's games but they're still nothing to sneeze at either.

"It won't be a problem Kimma, I'm not as dependent on that lifestyle as some of the other members of my family are."

"I hope so, it's hard enough to get sponsors to see tributes from our district as a serious threat and the last thing you need is the image of the tribute who doesn't take training or life seriously."

I knew it'd be hard for me to shake the image of the 'party girl' my family had so graciously built up for me but I though the games might at least give me a chance, I guess I was as wrong about that as everything else in my life. It's so unfair that a culture I didn't create and a carefree lifestyle I don't want is being used to define me in such a negatively permanent way. Hell even if I win I doubt I'll ever escape and get to have a normal life, I'll just be expected to throw better parties than my parents do.

"I don't suppose me telling you how much I loathe being perceived that way is going to matter, will it?"

"Honestly it doesn't matter how I perceive you, it can affect how strongly I'm able to push for sponsors as if I don't think you have a snowball's chance in hell of winning I'm not going to try as hard as I would if I did. In reality the only thing that matters is the perception the crowd has of you, they control the wealth and through the wealth they can tip the outcome of the games."

"Ok then, how do I 'remake' my image so you'll try while convincing the Capitol I'm worth supporting?"

"For me all I need to see is you 'mean' what you said. Train hard and stop drinking and we'll get along just fine. As for the Capitol…..We'll have to see how your first encounter and the parade go, but I'm confident we can find something that works if you're willing to work with me."

"Well I'm not ready to die yet and I think I'll get farther with you then I will with Oatis….Ok, I'm in, when do we start?"

"As soon as you dump your drink out."

* * *

 **Jamie Dexton-12(D9M)**

"So Jamie how are you enjoying the train? Is it everything you hoped it would be?"

"Well it's easily the nicest place I've ever been, it's even prettier then the Justice Center or the Mayor's house."

"That it is, and if you think this is nice just wait until you see the Capitol. Compared to the Capitol this train is shabby and rundown."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it….I just wish it were….."

"Everyone in your position is wishing the same thing, but I'm confident we can work together to put you in the best place to come out on top."

"Thank you, Oatis…..Why would you want me to ask him that?"

"What was that Jamie?"

"Oh sorry, that was directed toward my sister, not you….No, I don't think it's rude not to ask, but it definitely would be if I were so blunt….No, I don't think I'm being too cautious you're just pushy."

"There's no one else here with us, is there?"

I don't know why everyone has to ask that question, I mean Grace has been sitting or standing next to me since I checked into the reaping hours ago. Sure it's a little surprising that she's been allowed to come with me like this but I'm sure they understand how important it is for me to have her with me….Why else would they have let her do it if they didn't?

"Don't worry she's full of great ideas and I'm excited to have her help in preparing for the games. It's ok if she helps right?"

"I….I don't see why not. But you understand she's not going to be able to go to training or be allowed on stage for your interview, and she most certainly can't go into the games with you."

"We know, and honestly, I'm just glad they let her come with me at all. She's always wanted to see the Capitol so this is a dream come true for her."

"Well in that case I'm….Happy to help her realize this dream."

"Why can't you tell him yourself…? Oh fine then be like that. She wants me to thank you for being so kind….I was getting to that have a little patience. She's also looking forward to working with you to get me ready for the games, she's excited to see her little brother finally spreading his wings….Did I say that right?"

"Well, I'm excited about this opportunity as well. Now let's get to it shall we? Let's start with the basics about you and we'll go from there."

"Sounds good, but I'm not sure I'm all that interesting a person. Now Bla…..Why wouldn't I want him to know about that…? You worry too much, and besides he's trying to help me…. It's not as bad as you're making it out to be…. Fine, I'll save for later."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but if there's something you think I should know I'd advise you to tell me now rather than later."

"Well I want to tell you all about Blade, but my sister thinks it's not relevant information and doesn't want me to bore you with it…. Because that's what you just said…. Oh so now I'm imagining what you're saying, or do you think I'd purposely try to sabotage myself in the games?"

"Jamie if you think it's important I need you to tell me. I understand your sisters…. Concerns but I assure you nothing you have to tell me is unimportant or boring, not to me."

"See I told you…. Don't pout, just admit you were wrong and move on. So where was I?"

"You were talking about Blade."

"Right, so Blade is a little complicated but I'll do my best to explain him. So Blades part me and part… Hero."

"He's you and he's a hero?"

"Well I guess I'm a hero, Blade is the protector of the innocent in District Nine. It's his job to protect people from all the bad things that happen when the peacekeepers aren't around to stop the bad people. He kind of grew out of me after my sister was attacked a few years back after she almost died I realized that someone had to fill the gaps where the peacekeepers couldn't and since I had a vested interest after Grace got hurt I decided it should be me."

"Aww now it all makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Where I recognized you from, or where I recognized your name from anyway."

"You've heard of Blade?! See I told you he was making a difference back home, and you thought it was a waste of time."

It takes me a moment to realize that Oatis isn't looking at me anymore but instead he's staring intently at a pad of paper I have no idea how he got. I mean I could have missed him getting up and getting one from somewhere else while I was talking to Grace but I doubt it. After all good awareness is the hallmark of a good hero and I'd be a pretty crappy one if I didn't notice someone sitting two feet away from me getting up and moving around.

"Ok I've got a pretty good idea of how to package you in the Capitol but I think it would be better if we don't mention your or Blade to anyone, not at the beginning at least."

"What…? No, I obviously heard what he said but I don't understand why he said it."

"We don't want anyone to use Blade or his work against you, and keeping Grace a secret is important so she doesn't get in trouble for coming with you, not to mention getting everyone who let her come in trouble too."

"Oh, that makes sense. So what else do you think I should do?"

* * *

 **Bryn Snowdon-12(D3M)**

This has to be the absolute worst early birthday present of all time. I didn't think anything could top last year's crap but yet again I've managed to underestimate just how shitty the world really is.

"I wish I could see how the wires run through all of this stuff, I bet they all look really pretty."

As if I needed another reminder I also have the strangest district partner of all time, hell even her name is bonkers. Seriously what kind of parents look at their baby and say 'I think Quanta is a beautiful name for a little girl'? On top of having a stupid name she also hasn't shut up since we got on the train, and while I've been able to ignore most of her babbling and rambling every now and then something sneaks through and rattles my senses while managing to take my annoyance to a whole new level.

"I mean look at how bright and clear the lights are Bryn, to do that they would have to have a level of power I've never seen before. I bet it looks really pretty when it arks and sparks."

"If it's as strong as you think it is why would you want to see it arc or spark? Wouldn't that be oh I don't know, dangerous?"

"Only if you're not careful, and even then it's worth the risk to see how it reacts. So wild and untamable, it's just exhilarating beautiful to look at. Don't you think so?"

"I tend to avoid looking at things that could blind and or kill me, call it a preference."

"You're a strange one Bryn, but I think the two of us will get along fine if you loosen up a little bit."

My lord, she's an annoying one, I mean it's nice to see someone so well adjusted to all that's going on but I just wish she could keep her mouth shut for like five consecutive seconds I might be able to tolerate her. Now that's not to say I can't now but it's extremely hard for me to hold my tongue when she refuses to quiet down or even take a breath on a semi normal basis.

"Can we talk about something else, like anything besides how strange you think I am and how beautiful the power on the train must be?"

"Like what, my family, your family, the other trains, the other tributes? Oh I know let's talk about what we think the power systems on all the other trains could look compared to our train and then we can compare our district's power grids to the others and then see how everything stacks up compared to everything else, It could be a fun way to figure out what's the most efficient way to channel power and stuff like that."

Well that was a swell idea wasn't it. Now she's bouncing off on some incredibly long and complexed tangent and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get her focused on any one thing without a hell of an effort. Maybe I should have just let her ramble on about our stupid train.

Luckily I don't have to try to steer her back as before I can even form the semblance of a plan to do so the door to the dining car slides open and our escort Sagitarria sweeps inside wearing the same flowing green robe thing she wore to the reaping.

"I'm sorry to cut your visiting time short but your mentor wants five minutes with each of you and dinner is ready. Now who's eating and who's talking to Zapp first?"

This might be the one chance I have to get a little peace and quiet between now and going to bed, provided Quanta quiets down enough for me to sleep that is.

"I'm sure Quanta is far hungrier than I am."

"Are you offering to let me go first or…?"

"Of course, I am. Go enjoy your dinner and I'll talk to Zapp first, soften him up for your more, unique meeting with him."

"Thank you. So what are we having for dinner? Is food in the Capitol really as different from what we eat in the districts as I've herad? Because to hear some people talk we might as well be eating dirt compared to what you all eat in the Capitol…."

I can tell by the look on Sagitarria's face that she's not exactly relishing this ridiculously fast and intrusive line of questioning but as soon as the door between this compartment and the next closes and I'm left in a calm and relaxing silence my worry that I may have been too hasty in pawning my partner off on the escort evaporates as for the first time since we left the Justice Building I can actually hear my own thoughts without having to strain myself to do so.

I enjoy almost five consecutive minutes of silence before the sound of the door sliding open causes me to jerk my head around only to see the bearded smile of district three's only living victor Zapp Coulter. He offers me a cheeky grin as he looks back over his shoulder and mouths a few words in the general direction of who I assume is Sagitarria before slipping into the chair across from me and offering me his hand.

"Hello, Bryn it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Zapp and it is my joy and my burden to be your mentor for this year's games."

"Delighted, I guess."

"Now then we don't have a whole lot of time to talk but I just wanted to get to know both you and Quanta a little bit before you head off to bed."

"Isn't that something you could have done in the Capitol?"

"Honestly, this is probably the most peaceful and calm it's going to be between now and the bloodbath. Between the tribute parade and all the prep involved with that tomorrow is pretty much shot. After that, your next three days are filled with training and interview prep before swinging right into the sessions. As you can see almost all of you free time has been monopolized by the games."

"So what you're saying is I'm going to spend every waking moment being pestered by people who will go out of their way to make every little thing as annoying and painful as they can?"

"I'm not sure I would say it's intentional more like a bunch of people just trying to do their job. Then again I get the feeling that you're talking about a more personal level of annoyance and pain then the general kind I might associate with these events."

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Call it instinct. But enough about that I want to hear about you. What can I tell the Capitol about you that's going to make them want to support and cheer for Bryn Snowdon?"

"Aside from the fact that I'm calmer than my district partner?"

"Besides that."

"I don't really know honestly."

"Just tell me things about yourself and I'll see what I come up with then."

"Ok. Well, I really like to read, I'm really good at piecing things together and seeing the underlying connections between people and events."

"That's good, very good. What else?"

"I…. Like to run and climb on things. Mostly just to find somewhere quiet and out of the way to think or read but I'm pretty good at it all the same."

"That's perfect Bryn, you've given me a lot to work with."

"That's it?"

"For now, the rest of it will come together as we prepare for your interview and during training. For now, though I think I have a pretty solid base to work with. Why don't you go get some dinner and send Quanta my way if you could."

Terrific my mentor seems intent on freestyling this almost as much as my partner seems intent on talking me to death. This really is the shittiest early birthday present of all time, I can't even imagine how it could get any worse than this.

* * *

 **Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

I've never seen so much food in my entire life, and as if that wasn't enough I've never even heard about half of it in books little loan seen it. However, I get the distinct impression that Sagitarria is more getting by my questions and is only answering them in the hopes that I'll stop talking if she runs me out of them. I mean if she wants me to be quiet all she has to do is say so and I will, I might occasionally slip in a few new questions but for the most part I'll shut up if she'll just ask me to.

I decide to take a small break from questions to inspect the massive brownish yellow fruit sitting in the bowl in front of me. It's got a rough surface and a smattering of off greenish colored leaf things sprouting out the top. I really want to know what this is but from the look of mild annoyance so clearly plastered on Sagitarria's face I don't think it's a good idea to ask her. Maybe Zapp or Bryn will know what it is?

"Quanta, Zapp's waiting for you in the other car. He says to come see him as soon as you finish eating."

"I'll go now if that's ok, I've had more to eat now then all day anyway. Sagitarria can I take this fruit with me? I want to ask Zapp a few questions about it."

"I…. Sure, go ahead dear."

I quickly gather up the strange fruit and bound toward the back of the car where my pace is slowed considerably as I'm forced to wait for the door to recognize my presence and then for it to cycle the locks and open up to admit me to what Sagitarria refers to as 'the parlor' car. Once the doors finally open I quickly slip through the opening and into the other car before the first door has even finished opening all the way.

"Well you certainly are an eager one aren't you? Please have a seat."

I slip into the chair opposite Zapp and attempt to adequately divide my attention between his words and my quickly intensifying study of this mysterious fruit. After a few minutes I abandon all pretense of listing and instead begin an in-depth analysis of the prickly outer layer until a soft tapping on my shoulder snaps me back to reality.

"Is there any particular reason you're staring so intently at this pineapple?"

"So this is a pineapple?"

"Yes it is I…. I can't imagine you've ever really seen one before have you?"

"No I haven't, and I always enjoy learning about and studying new things."

"Well that's an admirable trait but I'm not sure how much use you're going to get out of studying a pineapple. It's not likely to do you a whole lot of good in the arena."

"I…. I know that. But I don't know how long I've got left so I want to learn as much as I can about everything I can before I go into the arena."

"That's…. Not a bad plan honestly. Now as long as we can find a way to focus that energy on useful endeavors during your training we just might be able to find a way for you to win this thing. So tell me what other areas of your personality would you consider strengths?"

"I…. I like to make things explode, it's just sooooooo pretty when everything comes together and the bomb goes boom. It's almost peaceful like a sunset or beautiful like a sculpture."

"Well that 'talent' could certainly prove useful if we can find a way for you to apply it in the arena. That being said if the arena doesn't have a lot of technological parts to it I'm not sure how effective a skill it can really be."

"I've been working on a lot of different ways to make them, though. Sure a lot of them require technical parts but there are some that just require mixing the right stuff and letting it sit before applying a catalyst like fire and things of that nature and….."

"Ok Quanta calm down and take a deep breath."

"Sorry, I just…. Get a little excited talking about things like this."

"I can see that, and I think you'll have a lot to teach everyone during training and in the arena. Now let's focus on how to get you past the bloodbath so you can put your little skill into play."

"Ok…. How do we go about doing that exactly?"

"Well first off we'll need to talk general strategy and how to apply it going solo or with allies. But that can wait until we know whether or not you're going to have allies. For now we'll try to focus on general survival information and things of that nature."

"Terrific…. Can we start now? Does Bryn need to be here too or are we doing this alone? Will I be able to go over any of the stuff I miss later? Will I be able to practice this during training or os it all theory?"

"Calm down Quanta, calm down."

"Sorry."

"Now for tonight we can go over some basic theory and information if you'd like but the lion share will have to wait until you start training, and it's up to Bryn if he wants to sit in on this or not."

"Do you want me to go ask him?"

"I think I better handle that. Are you done with the pineapple or do you want me to leave it here?"

"Oh no you can take it back, and thank you for telling me what it was."

"My pleasure, now wait right here while I go talk with Bryn."

As Zapp exits the car I'm pretty sure I hear the unmistakable sound of a sigh though whether it's from relief or something else I can't say. He's only gone for a few minutes before returning with a large glass bottle of what I believe to be wine and a very agitated looking Bryn in tow.

"Ok you two settle in and get comfortable. I'm about to throw a lot of information about things you've never had to deal with back home at you so if you get a little confused don't hesitate to speak up. Now let's start with something simple shall we?"

* * *

 **A/N: First a special thanks to Reader Castellan, Kgunzrok, CreativeAJL, grimbutnotalways, JadeRavenstone, and Ripple237 for submitting Topaz, Audrie, Alden, Jamie, Bryn, and Quanta respectively. Also a quick side note the conversations in italics during Jamie's POV were between him and his sister. That might be obvious but I just wanted to point it out real quick so no one gets confused reading it. :)**

 **So this takes us through the train rides and means we just have one more batch of tribute to meet before we'll have finally met them all :) I hope everyone likes the tributes we've seen so far. Now then on to questions :)**

 **1\. What did you think of our latest batch of tributes?**

 **2\. Who stuck out the most?**

 **3\. Out of the 20 Tributes we've met so far which ones do you think stand the best chance of winning?**

 **4\. Finally how was the chapter overall?**

 **Other then that I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always please review and let me know what you think and I look forward to seeing all of you at the next update :D**


	8. First Impressions(Tribute Parade)

**Archie Razida-13(D8M)**

Before I boarded the train yesterday I never imagined I'd enjoy anything close to this kind of comfort in my lifetime, and while it was nice at first the novelty has quickly worn off to the point that I'm disgusted with myself for ever having enjoyed it. I mean how can I let myself be happy while my family sits at home worried sick about me, not to mention the fact that with what little income I was bringing in no longer available how are any of them going to eat?

Part of me knows there's not a lot I can do about it from this train or in the Capitol but I have to, at least, try not to let myself get swept up in the pomp and splendor of the games. There'll be plenty of time for that after I win, provided I can find a way not to screw it up.

That's been the only thing on my mind since our escort Inala sent my partner Connor and me to bed last night, the fact that I have to win or my entire family will suffer. It's a lot of pressure to place on myself but I know that this just might be the lucky break my family's been desperately searching for. It's the chance to save my mother from working herself into an early grave, to save my father from the agony of being stepped on and shoved down by everyone around him, my chance to see my big sister genuinely smile for the first time in years. Not only that but it's also my only chance to prove to everyone back in Eight that I'm good for something, that I can and will amount to more than just another stain on the factory floor, that my life WILL have had a true purpose.

I don't know how long I spend lost in my thoughts but after a while, a soft tapping sound cuts through the fog clouding my mind and I'm quickly torn back to reality as the tapping grows more insistent and frequent until it drowns out my thoughts along with everything else. Finally, I give up on my vain how that ignoring it will force whoever it is to go away and I slip out of the safety of my oversized bed and make my way quickly across the plush carpet and throw the door open even as the knocker continues their ceaseless assault.

"WHAT?!"

I let my frustration boil over as I stare into the well-lined face of my mentor and District Eights only living victor Thomas Wright. For a moment, I'm almost ashamed at my outburst but after a few seconds of silence, Thomas lets loose with a small snicker that shatters the unease and sends me over the edge into a fit of mildly hysterical laughter. The two of us share a good laugh before he simply motions for me to follow him into the other car without saying so much as a word to me.

I hesitate to follow for a moment but decide that he wouldn't have disturbed me if it wasn't at least mildly important so I slip back into my sleeper compartment and slip out of the velvet pajamas the Capitol had provided me and back into the crumpled mess that I wore to the reaping before quickly slipping on my shoes and heading for the next compartment seconds before Inala sticks her head through the rapidly opening door.

"For the love of god Archie hurry up and get in here, you need to eat before we get to the Capitol and you're running out of time."

"I'm not much of a breakfast person Inala, I don't normally get to eat at it home so why should I start now?"

"I don't care what you did back home, right now you're my responsibility and I refuse to let you parade around the Capitol all day on an empty stomach. Now stop arguing and get in here and eat, NOW!"

She withdraws her head mere seconds before I roll my eyes and let out a snort somewhere between disgust and amusement before slipping through the door and into the dining compartment where Thomas and Connor sit side by side at the massive table eating eggs and talking about arena strategy, at least, I think it's arena strategy.

I consider interrupting but decide against it and instead grab a plate and pile it high with potatoes and eggs before slipping into a chair towards the middle of the table where I can avoid being a direct part of the conversation but am still close enough to overhear what the two of them are saying. At this point, I'm still not sure exactly what to think of Connor and while I like Thomas well enough I'm still not comfortable with talking to him around or about other people.

The last thing I need is to ask a stupid question and scare off my district partner with my incompetence. She may not be perfect but at least, she's someone who's been willing to consider the idea of an alliance in the arena, that's not a bridge I'm willing to burn, not yet anyway. After all, the strongest alliances are forged in the early hours of the first few days and how I approach reeling Connor in as an ally will play a defining role in my chances of survival. That means I have to be extra careful and play it cool, for the time being anyway.

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

"I just don't understand why you're saying that's a bad thing, isn't the high ground always the best place in the games?"

"It really depends on the situation and the arena. Sometimes capturing the high ground just makes you a target and in the wrong kind of arena, it may do more harm than good."

"The careers always take either the high ground or the cornucopia and they almost always win, shouldn't the same strategy work for everyone?"

"In theory, it would yes, but in practice, the reason the careers can seize and hold the best ground is because they have the skill and the numbers. However all that's a moot point of the terrain and the arena can't support you on the high ground."

"I still don't understand why it would be different, maybe you just think I'm too stupid to understand and that's why you're talking me in circles. "

"I don't think you're stupid Connor, but I do think you're looking at the games from the wrong perspective. You can't play them as a career if you don't have the training or the numbers to make it work, the best bet is for you to play to your strengths and find a way to convert them into a winning formula that works for you. That's the only way to win the Hunger Games coming from an outer district, you have to make everyone else play your game instead of theirs."

"I'm still not convinced, I mean if something works and it works well why should I change it?"

"Try looking at it from a different perspective then. Over the last two years, we had a tribute from Ten from an alliance of ant careers to stop them from winning the games but neither group made it very far; on the other hand, you had the winner last year in Kimma and both Jinx and Terr who finished second and third the year before. Now all of them came from the outer districts but played to their personal strengths rather than trying to play the same way everyone else does."

I don't know why he keeps harping on this. I mean sure it's easy to point out the one or two successful outer district tributes from the last few games but the lion share of the high finishers have come from the traditional power districts. Hell even last year half the top four were careers and one of the others was from district seven, it's frustrating that Thomas can't see this from my perspective.

"Look I don't think either of us is going to concede enough ground for us to come to an amicable agreement anytime soon. You think I should do it one way and refuse to listen to my reasoning on why I should do it the other way."

"I'm not ignoring you, Connor, I'm simply trying to get you to look at this from a different perspective. I….Archie what do you think?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think?"

Well, this should be interesting, Archie hasn't really said a whole lot about the games or anything remotely connected to them since we got on the train. Look I mean I'm just as sad about having to leave my family as he is and I understand that he's scared, hell I am too but that doesn't mean we get to ignore what's going on around us. About the only thing I was able to coax out of him remotely related to the games was that he was interested in being my ally, and while it's not necessarily a bad idea to ally with my district partner I'm not sure he has the right mindset to be useful in the arena. Don't get me wrong he's a nice kid and if given the chance could grow up to be a hell of a guy, but I plan on winning this thing and I can't afford to drag him around.

"You really want to know what I think."

"Would I have asked you if he didn't?"

"I guess not, but I'm really not sure what I can add that you haven't already said."

This is exactly why I'm not sure about Archie, he's so uncertain and critical. If Thomas had asked me the same question I would have answered him even if my answer was verbatim the same as his, but for some reason Archie is holding back and I'm not sure what he's hoping to accomplish by doing so. I mean I guess I could force him to answer the question, if he wants to be my ally he's going to have to get used to me talking charge anyway so it might not be a bad idea to see how he responds to that now, before it comes up in a life or death situation.

"Just answer the question Archie, and try to do it before we arrive in the Capitol."

"Ok then….I think both arguments have their merits and in reality, both can work, the key word though is can. In the end, we won't really know what kind of strategy to employ until we know what kind of allies and enemies will be working with or against. So, for now, why not work on both?"

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to lay the groundwork for both plans. However dividing your attention like this will result in you having two partial plans and question about both."

"We don't need to go into the bloodbath without deciding, we just need to get a better lay of the land before delving fully into one. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have the backup high ground/cornucopia plan in place if we end up going the other route, and that goes both ways."

Well, this is a side of Archie I didn't expect to see, maybe he'll make a good ally after all. I mean I can't say for sure until I see him in training but if he's as quick with a weapon as he is with his mind the two of us would make an incredibly formidable duo. We could be even better if we can find a way blend a few more tributes into the mix, as long as this is his norm and not an outlier that is.

"Thomas I'm sorry to interrupt but we're about to enter the Capitol proper, this is something the children aren't going to want to miss. After all one of them is assured to never see this amazing sight again."

Thomas motions for the two of us to join him by the window just as the train speeds into the last tunnel between us and the Capitol. At this point I'm filled with a sense of wonder at what the Capitol will really look like and a strong desire to lash out at Inala for her insensitivity but I manage to hold my tongue long enough to have my breath taken away as our train shoots out of the darkened tunnel and into the gleaming beauty of the city.

The top of every building seems to shine like a diamond and the water flowing from the artificial waterfall into the artificial lake near the outskirts is so clear I can almost see my reflection through the glare and the dirty train window. Off in the distance, the sun is just starting to crest over the peak of the Presidential Palace Complexes outermost pyramid sending a rainbow of light cascading off into the four corners of the city.

"This is magnificent. I don't think I've ever seen anything so breathtaking in my entire life."

"Take it from someone who's lived here her entire life; you kids haven't seen anything yet."

* * *

 **Moriah Trace-12(D11M)**

I can't stand this place, I mean it's bad enough that I'm here in the first place but the only thing I've heard out of the mouths of these people is how upset they are that they're being forced to work on someone so young. I mean really do they think I have any more desire to be here than they want me to? Honestly, I had it pretty good back in Eleven by almost any measurable standard and instead of enjoying my life and getting to experience things I'm stuck here with these three babbling idiots who can't seem to agree on anything other than how much they dislike everything about my body.

"I just don't understand how we're supposed to make him look presentable for the parade? His costumes sizing was based on the average of the last few male tributes from Eleven and all of them were much bulkier than he is. He's going to look ridiculous in his outfit."

"Tithonus is there a way to make the standard field hand not look stupid? I mean at least half the reason we do it so often is that it's impossible to truly screw up. It's a terrible plaid flannel shirt, overalls, and a ridiculous looking floppy hat."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for perfection. Then again I just might have a little more professional pride than the two of you."

"You just don't like working with the lower districts. Your 'professional pride' is nothing more than a desire to get elevated to a different district."

"Can you blame me, Adriana? In fifteen years we've seen exactly four tributes win from these drudge districts and only one in the last decade."

"First off it's two you're forgetting Zefram from Six, he won Ninety-three. Besides it's only been what thirteen years since we had a victor?"

"No it's been thirteen years since the two of you had a victor, I was assigned to the boy when this kids mentor won in Ninety."

Well, this is certainly a riveting conversation, apparently people in the Capitol are just as pathetic and shallow as I expected them to be. Not that my escort Honorius wasn't living proof of how….Childish these people were these three stooges have only reinforced that point ten fold.

"Ignore him Adriana he's just playing up the 'woe is me' card again. The truth is this is a whole different ballgame than it would have been in a normal year, and this kid looks like he could do a little damage. Who knows we might get lucky and bag ourselves another victor moving forward."

Well, I've had just about enough of this shit…..

"I am right here you know."

If anything, my outburst, at least, quieted their incessant chattering for a few seconds and the look on the face of the incredibly stupid one I assume is Tithonus almost makes suffering through their shit worth it, almost. It takes a few seconds for them to compose themselves after my outburst and a few more for one of them, surprisingly the stupid looking one seems to have drawn the rebuttal card for this one, to respond to my outburst with something besides an annoyed gasp and childish hissing.

"Excuse us, sir, we didn't realize that our idle chatter was so offensive. We shall endeavor to quiet our discussions as to not offend you further."

"Ok first off you probably could have tried to spread the sarcasm a little thinner, you probably meant to come off witty but you just sounded melodramatic. Second just forget I said anything, it's not like any of you actually thinks I have a chance of winning anyway. Maybe I should just get used to being underestimated by people like you."

"What do you mean people like us?"

"Again just forget it, it's not worth explaining. Are we almost done here so I can meet my stylist, or were you planning on sending me to the parade in this flimsy paper dress?"

"Well we've done all we can with you I guess. One of you take him to Cadaladona please, I can't stand to be around him anymore today."

Tithonus quickly glides out of the area and after a few seconds of mumbling between themselves the other male leaves and the reasonably normal looking female member of my prep team takes me by the hand and leads me into a small room before quickly closing the door and leaving me standing nearly naked in the center of the room.

"Thank you….I think!"

Well at least I'm done dealing with those idiots, I just hope this Cadaladona managed to scoop up the brain matter my prep team obviously decided they didn't need to do their jobs. If he did I might actually meet one person in the Capitol with a fully functional brain, then again he is a Hunger Games stylist so he can't be 'that' bright. I mean I can hope and pray for at least one marginally intelligent person, but I'm not holding my breath that he's going to be the one.

* * *

 **Iliana Alder-13(D11F)**

"I feel stupid being dressed like this. Are you sure there's nothing else Moriah and I could be dressed as besides field hands? I mean I don't want to complain but hasn't this been done to death by our district recently?"

"Not really, almost everything we have prepared would require extensive alterations to be useable for someone with as….Diminutive stature as you have dear."

"So I'm too small to wear something less ridiculous?"

"I'm sorry dear I really am. But with the recent changes to the ages being thrown at us at the last minute we really didn't have time to alter the outfits we'd intended to use this year for the smaller size of the tributes."

Well I guess there's nothing either of us can really do about this, we're both trying to adjust on the fly and make the best of what we have. I don't have to like dressing like a field hand and I by no means do, but at least Trinity has been nice to me. I mean when she walked into the room I know for a fact she saw me almost jump out of my skin at the sight of the massive tucan like beak that serves as her nose, but she took it in stride and has been nothing but nice to me since.

"Well I guess it's only as bad as I make it, and it's my personality and skills that are going to win people over. If I'm so bad on both those counts that I can't overcome a relatively bland parade outfit I have bigger problems than feeling silly in an outfit."

"That's the spirit. Now which of the hats would you prefer to wear dear?"

She disappears around the corner and returns with an arm full of massively oversized hats that she lays neatly on the table for me to choose from. Most of them are absolutely out of the question as even with the attempted humor of putting these oversized clothes on me I refuse to completely obscure my face from view. After all how can the people of the Capitol support me if they don't know who I am? It takes me a few seconds of searching before i finally settled on what looks like a large straw hat with what looks like an oversized artificial pink cherry blossom pined to the front.

"I think this one looks pretty."

"That's an excellent choice dear, the pink will really make the soft reds of your shirt stand out."

Well I guess that's a bonus, in reality I picked it because it's the only one that might bring some semblance of decency to my outfit. It may be true that I can win sponsors over later but I really can't afford to turn anyone off either, so I do have to look somewhat presentable in the parade.

"That's what I was hoping for, plus it's really really pretty. Do you think it'll make me stand out from the crowd?"

"Dear with this hat you're going to be the talk of the parade. Now put it on so I can see how it looks then I need to apply a few minor final touches before I have to get you down on the launch floor."

It only takes her a few seconds before she's got everything exactly the way she wants it, and while I'm almost certain that everyone I know back home is going to be laughing at how funny I look Trinity is almost positive that I'll make a positive impact on the Capitol audience as a whole. I just know I'm never going to live this down with Ola and Millicent. No matter what I do in the games neither of them is ever going to let me live this outfit down, still it'll be nice to have that conversation regardless of what I'm sure will be a torrent of incessant teasing from the two of them.

"Well I'm not one to pat myself on the back for doing my job but I have to say dear you are by far my most amazing looking tribute. I just know everyone out there is going to love you."

"Thank you Trinity, for everything."

She wraps me in a tight hug and despite my relative discomfort at sharing something as personal as a hug with someone I hardly know I manage to force myself to return it in what I hope is a relatively convincing way. She pulls away and looks down at me as a single tear rolls of the end of her beak and splashes on my cheek moments before a soft but insistent chiming noise begins to emanate from every corner of the small concrete room, and despite my best efforts not to I know a small tremor of fear seeped out into the room as I turned towards Trinity to ask the one question I really don't want an answer too.

"What's that sound mean?"

"Why it's almost time for the parade to start dear. Now let's get you down stairs and on your chariot, we wouldn't want it to leave the bay without the future star of the parade would we?"

* * *

 **Lanteia Cintas(Master of Ceremonies)**

Out of all the annoying and worthless parts of my job as Master of Ceremonies, this has to be the absolute worst. Really what's the point of dressing the tributes up and parading them through the street for everyone to gawk at? Sure it had a purpose in the beginning when we were showing off the offspring of the rebel leaders before shipping them into the arena to die for our enjoyment, but at this point no one cares about the history behind the parade and to me that means it's time for it to go.

"Ms. Cintas the you're live in one minute. Do you need anything before you go on the air?"

"I'm fine for now Felicity but do have a series of incredibly strong but fruity tasting cocktails on standby for when I'm done. I'm going to want to drown out the memory of this debacle as quickly as I can."

"Of course ma'am, do you have a specific flavor you'd prefer or…?"

"Surprise me, dear, now if you'll excuse me I have to start the parade."

She offers me an affirmative nod and quickly melts away into the background as the anthem blares and the little light above the camera flashes on and I'm forced to once again play the role of happy host and brain-dead Capitol citizen for the nation.

"Good evening Panem and welcome to the official opening of these The One Hundred and Third Annual HUNGER GAMES! Now I know all of you have watched and probably rewatched the reapings and some of the old parades in anticipation of tonight's extravaganza, but I assure you all this will be better than anything you've seen before.

Tonight President Tyranna Vale and all of us here in the Capitol are pleased to present all of you with your first real look at this year's batch of tributes; and just think somewhere among the crowd is the next Titan of Panem, who will rise up and seize their rightful place in the pantheon of legends? It's time to find out."

As the first chariot rolls out of the launch bay, I'm given a moment to catch my breath as the camera view shifts to the tributes. For the most part, I'm done being on-screen as from now until the wrap up in about twenty minutes or so the camera will swing between the chariots, the crowd and finally the President as she gives her opening address. I just wish they could find someone else to do this besides me, even Caesar had Claudius so why I have to do this alone is beyond me.

"Well it looks like our first chariot has finally made its way into the open and for this year it looks like the stylists from District One have decided to dress their tributes as porcelain dolls, or, at least, that's what it looks like with their incredibly white skin and rosy cheeks. I have to say this is a change from normal but I'm absolutely in love with how cute these tributes look. A reminder this is Audrie and Topaz of District One."

Well, at least, someone was thinking on their feet this year, I half expected to see undersized versions of the normal ovary exposed and sexified clothing they wear every year in one. I'm glad I was wrong, at least this once.

"Now here we have Antonia and Alex of District Two, and unless my eyes are playing tricks on me the two of them are meant to represent marble statues but not just any statues, Greek God statues. As we can see from the spear and the owl perched on Antonia's shoulder she's obviously meant to represent Athena the goddess of wisdom and her partner is obviously Ares the god of war. It looks like District Two decided to emphasizes not only its contribution to Panem but also the strength of its people, splendid!"

Well for as original as District One was Two has firmly returned the bar to its original position. I mean it's hard to go wrong with something so elegant and beloved but I was hoping they'd take a chance like one did. Well, there are still ten more to go and by the end, they might be the second best-dressed tributes in the parade.

"So here comes District Three and it looks like we have Quanta and Bryn dressed in a beautiful representation of the form-fitting polymer body armour the late Beetee Latier developed for our valiant peacekeepers. Now if we look closely at the screen you can see how everything holds together into one solid piece rather than the multiple modular pieces they use to wear, and I do love the District Three symbol in the center of the chest, and the way it's constantly changing colors does a lot to attract attention to the tributes. Yet another masterpiece from our talented Capitol stylists."

Well, at least, they didn't phone it in like the pair from Two did.

"Now we have Iona and Lachlan of District Four, and for a moment, I thought I was looking at a picture because this is exactly the same look Finnick Odair rocked for us back in Sixty-Five, and just like it did then it's a smashing hit with the crowd. I especially like how the seashells seem to curve and twist with the bodies of the tributes as if to create a kind of mystique that only the sea can offer."

This would have been a home run look if they'd had older tributes, with two thirteen-year-olds though it comes across as tacky instead of sexy. However unless I've finally gone insane from watching this crap the stylists from Five have definitely lost theirs.

"Next up it looks like we have Emiliana and Luell of District Five who appear to be completely naked and glowing with an eerie green hue. Now I'm not a power expert but if I had to guess I'd say the two of them are supposed to represent the plutonium rods from the recently open nuclear reactor in Five. I just hope this amazing illusion is just that, an illusion."

Well, that was going to be a complete disaster regardless of the year, tributes from Five just don't have the figures to pull off nude costumes. At least, Six didn't fall into the same trap, though I'm not sure how much better their look is, at least, the tributes are fully clothed.

"Well would you look at District Six's Kaelia and Aldrin, unless I missed my guess it looks like the both of them are wearing grease and oil covered shirts with pants made entirely of tires. I have to say that these two might be the most impressive pair so far, but the night is young."

So young that I'm only halfway through. I really should have started drinking before the show like I did last year.

"Hold on folks it looks like District Seven has come to the Capitol in the form of our radiant origami trees modeled by the ravishing Sequoia and the dapper Aster. In all my years I don't think I've ever seen a sight as inspiring as this."

It's definitely inspiring, somehow the stylists from Seven took one of the simplest and easy to do outfits and made them less desirable than before. Seriously someone should give them a raise for taking such a stupid outfit and making it worse.

"Now we turn our attention to the people who keep us all clothed and stylish as the proud people of District Eight have presented us with Connor and Archie. Now the two of them look particularly jovial as brightly colored and dressed medieval court jesters. I guess they wanted to bring a little joy to us along with the fashion."

Honestly, the tributes from Eight could have been covered in garbage and it would have been better than the trees that preceded them. At this point, no one is really paying attention anyway unless the outfit is extremely hideous or absolutely stunning, and we don't get that kind of effort down in the drudges very often.

"Now let's take a trip to the home of our most recent victor the spunky and fiery Kimma Reecee as we introduce her first tributes as a mentor Alden and Jamie. Now this is truly amazing as it looks like their stylists have woven individual grains together into a kind of toga for each of the tributes with a kind of wreath crown. I'd guess it's meant to represent not only the grain their district provides but also the resilience of its people and the ancient Roman tradition of celebrating a victorious general with a triumph. Clearly District Nine is still very much in love with its new-found fame as the home of the reigning victor."

They should enjoy it while they can if the look of these two is any indication they might be waiting for a good long while before they get to celebrate another one.

"Now from the cattle grazing fields of Ten we have Fern and Dargo. Now Fern appears to be a matador with Dargo serving the role of her bull. Now this is truly a unique and interesting take on the livestock District and as you can hear the crowd absolutely love it"

Well, this makes three consecutive amazing outfits for the outer districts and if Eleven and Twelve can come through with even half-way decent offerings it's going to put a lot of heat on Five and Seven for their lack of effort in costume design this year. Oh never mind I spoke too soon….

"Next up from our agricultural heartland, we have Iliana and Moriah who look smashing as field hands. Now, in general, this might not be as daring as some of the other outfits but I do like the statement being made with Iliana's hat. The pink cherry blossom really helps accentuate the other colors, and really helps pull the whole look together and makes for an amazing outfit."

Swing and a miss from Eleven and it looks like Five is in the clear and Seven will be too if the tributes from Twelve are really dressed like I think they are.

"Finally, from the far east, we have the spunky tributes from Twelve Brooke and Brenton. Now as all of you well know Twelve provides us with the coal that is used in everything from the steel we build our buildings with to power production and fuel for our trains and other transportation, and in that spirit it looks like the stylists from Twelve have decided to give us an old favorite, the naked tribute covered in coal dust."

I have zero idea what the stylists were thinking with this one, out of all the parade costumes these are the absolute worst ones to use. Hell in a normal year the tributes from Twelve are too small and malnourished to make this look good but when you replace them with small, malnourished preteens just pathetic. They might as well have shot the tributes themselves for all the good they did them.

"Now ladies and gentlemen It's my honor to turn you over to our beloved leader, the President of Panem Tyranna Vale!"

I keep my eyes clearly focused as Tyranna slowly makes her way to the podium but as soon as she's there and the camera in my booth shuts off I completely tune out. I'll just wait for the soft beeping in my ear to let me know she's finished rambling about the 'great honor' these tributes bestow upon our nation with their 'heroic sacrifice', at this point I've heard it worded every possible way so the only reason to listen would be if she planned on addressing the rule change, and since she's not I won't.

She goes on for what I'm sure is a personal best of fifteen minutes before finally ending her speech and dismissing the tributes to their stay rooms for the night. A few seconds later she disappears off the balcony and I straighten up seconds before my camera flashes back to life.

"Well there you have it Panem, another riveting address from our President and another Hunger Games officially begun. Stay tuned as the fashion team back in the studio will have an in-depth analysis of each district's parade outfits coming up in just a few minutes. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

* * *

 **A/N: We've finally met all the tributes! A special thanks to We're All Okay, ezmonee6, Jabber Blabber Ink, and dreams and desperation for submitting Archie, Connor, Moriah, and Iliana. Now this is a small departure from my previous style but in the last three stories everyone was always curious about the outfits I didn't describe in the parade so I changed the parade POV to a neutral one and described all of them to you, I hope everyone enjoyed it :)**

 **1\. What did you think of our final batch of tributes?**

 **2\. What did you think of the parade costumes?**

 **3\. Which outfit was your favorite?**

 **4\. Which tribute is your favorite overall?**

 **Now just a small disclaimer I did steal the District Six outfit from the District Heros of Panem poster that came out before Mockingjay part 1 and it happened because I just couldn't think of an outfit for six.**

 **Other then that I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and as always please review and let me know what you think. I look forward to seeing you all for the start of training this weekend :D**


	9. Foundations(Training Day 1 Part 1)

**Brooke Kolstad-13(D12F)**

I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life, honestly, I thought my stylist was kidding when he told me what my parade outfit was going to be. I mean really who in the hell decided that covering our naked bodies with coal dust was a good idea; I mean there has to be an easier way to kill us than that.

The soul-shattering embarrassment of the parade and my general fear of what today will bring in the form of training have kept me from getting any sort of legitimate sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see the smiling face of my older brother in his miner costume on his chariot, his confidence, and determination at his interview, and the horrified look of terror and pain on his face when the boy from Ten beat his face in with a meat tenderizer…..It's just so unfair that my family has to be subjugated to this again so soon after his death.

I do everything I can to push these thoughts and visions from my mind but every time I vanquish one two more take its place and before long I'm drowning in a sea of pity and self-loathing I'm not sure I have the strength to crawl out of. Luckily I'm liberated from my waking nightmare before I'm completely consumed by it by a scarcely audible tapping on my door.

"Come….Come in."

"Hey Brooke, Onyx, and Valora said you need to come downstairs. We're supposed to leave for training here in just a few minutes."

"What….What time is it?"

"About ten till ten, give or take a minute or two."

"WHAT?! How the hell did everyone let me sleep in so late?!"

"Well you didn't exactly sound like you were keen on company last night when we went to bed, and Onyx said to let you sleep while you can so…."

"Still there has to be a line that once I cross someone wakes me up. Will I even have enough time to eat before we go?!"

"If you hurry you might; I'll be downstairs….Also, your training outfit is in the top right drawer of your dresser, no reason to waste more time searching for it."

Brenton offers me a weak smile before gently closing my door seconds before I bound out of bed like a lunatic and dash around my room in a mad attempt to dress quickly enough that I can steal a few bites of something food related before I head down to training. It only takes me a few seconds to find and slip into a rather flexible black polyester one piece training suit but it's a chore to track down my shoes that I may or may not have thrown somewhere in the room last night in my post parade rage. Once I finally find them and make my way downstairs I have just enough time to shove half a bagel in my mouth before the elevator door shoots open and a pair of heavily armed peacekeepers stroll out to stand menacingly in the entry way.

Onyx and Brenton exchange a few quiet final words before Brenton turns toward the elevator and walks between the waiting guards with his head held high and a slight smile on his lips, I, however, can't seem to find the courage to follow him. I'm all but stuck to the floor as a new wave of fear and terror quickly engulfs me while the peacekeepers turn their faceless gazes towards me as I start to slowly back away towards the stairs. I make it maybe five inches before Onyx slips in behind me and I'm forced to stop dead in my tracks.

"You're going to be fine Brooke, it's just training."

"What if….What if I'm not ready to do this? What if I can't do this?"

"Everyone feels the same way on the first day but it's not as bad as it seems. Just listen to what your trainers tell you and don't try to learn too much at once and you'll be fine."

He offers me a reassuring nod and I manage to summon enough courage to make my way into the elevator where a very amused looking Brenton is doing everything he can not to laugh as the peacekeepers sweep back into the lift and it goes zipping down towards the training center below.

"It's not funny, none of this is."

"I don't think it is either, but that doesn't mean I can't find it amusing all the same. Does it?"

I can't believe him right now, sure I'm a little frazzled but it's not like I don't have a good reason to be. I just wish he could understand how hard this is for me to have to go through, sure he's going through the same thing but he doesn't have the same history with the games as I do.

"Just forget it, it's not like it really matters anyway."

I can tell I've hurt his feelings but before I can try to retract my previous statement the lift comes to a sudden but surprisingly soft stop. A few seconds later the door slides open and my jaw almost hits the floor as I quickly take in the amazing sight before me. A beautifully lit long white hall stretches out before us with pictures of past victors lining the walls on both sides, male winners on the right and the female on the left with a massive picture of last year's winner smiling down from the overhang above a set of massive doors that I assume lead into the training center itself.

The peacekeepers lead us down the hall but stop halfway down and simply watch as we close the last fifty or so feet between us and the doors. Once we reach them I tentatively stretch my hand out only to quickly rip it back as the doors shoot open and reveal a massive training center with different training stations covering every available inch of space.

"How the hell does Onyx expect us to focus on one or two skills with so many things to choose from?"

I hate to admit it but I'm wondering the same thing myself. Since we boarded the train two days ago Onyx has harped nonstop on us about overextending ourselves and how it's going to be imperative that we focus on a few core skills if we want to survive; the problem is he didn't bother to tell us what those core skills are.

I take a few careful steps into the room and make my way around the edge of what I think is a first aid station and quickly find myself staring into a mass of people all moving in different directions and communicating in every imaginable way from whispers to yelling. It's only after Brenton walks up beside me that a sharp whistle cuts through the chatter and brings an abrupt but total end to the noise.

"It looks like the last stragglers have finally arrived; I guess that means we can get started. First off my name is Tal'shia Rennes but for all of you, Tal will suffice. I'm your head trainer and it's the job of me and my staff to prepare all of you for the trials you'll be facing in the arena. Now as always there will be three compulsory exercises that you're required to complete and the rest of the time will be yours to train on what you wish. The compulsory exercises are spread out over the full three days of training and will constitute your first activity when you arrive."

"Onyx never mentioned any of this to me, did he tell you?"

"Shut up Brenton; I'm trying to listen."

"After you complete the mandatory exercise for the day you'll be released to train on anything you'd like but I do have a suggestion and I'd strongly recommend you heed it, don't skip the survival stations. Every year I watch tributes spend every second they have training with a sword or a bow only to die in the arena from something other than fighting. Now I know everyone sees the fights and wants to make sure they prepare enough that they can survive one in the arena, but it doesn't matter how prepared you are for a fight if you never make it to the battlefield. My advice to all of you is to find a balance between combat and non-combat skill training.

Now your first compulsory exercise will involve the obstacle course behind me. After we finish here I'll have you line up by district, one at the front and twelve in the back with the girls on the left and the boys on the right. You'll run the course three times; once going forward, once backward, and a final time both forward and back. Each run will be timed so I advise you to at least try to do a good job; you never know what factors can tip your individual score from good to bad or from good to great so invest yourself fully in this and EVERY exercise you do. Are there any questions before we get started?"

His eyes make their way from one tribute to the next and when no one steps forward or speaks up he simply offers an affirmative nod in the general direction of two of his female associates who promptly step forward and begin to demonstrate some of the techniques for how to clear the various obstacles that make up the course we're about to run.

"After we're done with this what did you want to focus on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well like Onyx and the trainer said we need to balance our time relatively evenly between combat and survival skills so I was wondering what you wanted to do first. After all isn't it polite to let the lady decide these things?"

"Not when she's just as confused as you are, and that's not what I meant. I meant why are you asking me?"

"Well we are district partners and while I'm never going to entirely trust you nor will you ever really trust me I figure our shared district and relatively cordial relationship offers a decent chance for an alliance to work. So how about it?"

"Are you asking me to be your ally or is this some kind of joke?"

"No jokes, this is too important for that. So are you in or not?"

I don't know, I mean I don't really have a whole lot to lose at this point. Sure Brenton wouldn't exactly be my first choice for an ally but at the very least saying yes helps me get my foot in the door and establish some sort of solid footing, and it couldn't hurt to already have an ally in the bank while searching for others.

"Ok I accept, but you're deciding what we work on first….Deal?"

I extend my hand towards him and for a moment I fear I may have overestimated just how badly he wants this alliance as he continues to stare absent-mindedly past me towards the mess of stations covering the floor. I'm about to pull my hand back when he quickly clasps his larger hand over mine and seals our alliance with a firm shake.

"Deal….Now, how comfortable do you think you'd be training with a knife as a primary weapon?"

* * *

 **Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)**

I don't think I've been as worn out in my entire life as I am right now, I mean that course would be a killer if I'd only had to run it once but three times in absolutely suicidal. The last few tributes are finishing up right now and while I'd like to see how I did compared to everyone else I guess Lachlan thinks this is the perfect time to pull me aside to talk and he's not exactly being gentle about it either.

"What do you want Lachlan?"

"Well for starters I'd like to congratulate you for how well you ran the course."

"Thank you, but you didn't have to pry my arm out of its socket to do that."

"Well that's where part two comes in, I was wondering how you think we should play this?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Well it's obvious the two of us are traditional career material, I mean I'm pretty much the perfect career tribute and after the run, you just had It's safe to assume you've trained at least a little bit. Add that to your general good looks and it's obvious we're a good team, now it's just a matter of deciding which other tributes to accept into the alliance."

Come on I know you've got a high opinion of yourself but I've seen you train and you're far from the 'perfect' career tribute. Then again Joyce said my best chance of winning could be to employ the same strategy she did in her games and while there's no one in this year's games with the same intimidating brute force as the boy from Eight she allied with it's still a relatively decent strategy, I just have to adjust it to this year's talent level.

"Well with a recruitment pitch like that how can I say no?"

"You really can't."

Why does he have to be so confident and smug? In the little over two days I've known him on a relatively personal level I don't think I've heard him utter one world that didn't drip with confident or sarcasm, and more often than not he manages to mix the two of them in a way that manages to come across as both condescending and sincere, at least, to me that is. I just hope his attitude and lax approach don't scare away the allies I'll need to survive.

"Ok, then I guess I'm in, but I'm not sure how many of the others will be on board. I'm sure most of them are going to want to see how well everyone does today before deciding on allies, this isn't a normal year after all."

"That's exactly why they're going to want to join up early. The sooner an alliance establishes dominance the sooner the games start to get back to a relatively normal state and that benefits whoever's in the alliance."

Wow, Lachlan may be cocky but he's definitely not stupid, not when it comes to this at least. I mean I really want to poke some kind of hole in his theory but I can't for the life of me see a way to do it. That being said I'm still not sure he's taking this as serious as he should be but I guess I can always use this time to scout for myself and if I need to abandon him then it's just what has to happen.

"I guess I see your point, so how do you want to play this then?"

"Why do you want me to pick? I though all the girls from Four wanted to be the 'independent leader' type."

Why does he have to be like this, I mean look at where we are and tell me this is the time or place to joke around about female independence and leadership qualities. I really want to punch him in his smug nose right now, but the last thing I need is to get the reputation as the unhinged tribute before the games even start, after the run on crazies the last few years that reputation would absolutely destroy any chance I have of winning. So I guess I'll have to play nice with this smug ass, for now at least.

"It's your plan so you call the shots."

"Excellent answer."

Of course, it is.

"I guess we should start with the traditional power players….I'll take One is you want to take Two?"

"Sounds good to me, meet back here after lunch?"

"You bet, good luck with those crazies from Two."

He offers me what I'm sure is the most obnoxious smile he could manage without hurting his face before slipping away into the mass of tributes moving towards various stations as the trainers release us even as Tal tends to the ankle of the boy from Eleven who slipped off the course during his last run and was dense enough to try and land on his feet instead of rolling into the fall and avoiding putting so much extra pressure on his relatively weak looking ankles. Then again I learned how to do that in training so he might not have known what to do in that situation, still you'd have to think that'd be common sense.

It takes me a few minutes to shoulder my way into the slow-moving mass of people and even then it seems like a futile effort to even try to track down the tributes from two. The only thing that makes it seem even remotely possible is the fact that everyone has a rather large patch on the back of their shirts with their district logo and all of those have numbers on them, after all, that's the only reason I knew it was the boy from Eleven who'd gotten hurt running the obstacle course.

It feels like I'm searching forever but most of that time is spent standing still as the tributes in the front of the slow-moving mass of bodies seem intent on stopping every five or so steps to stare at a training station for a few seconds before deciding that's not the one they want and finally moving on. Finally, after a good five or so minutes, the crowd has thinned enough for me to slip around a few of the slower moving people, after that it takes me maybe ten seconds to find the relatively impressive looking girl from Two throwing darts at one of the weapon training stations.

"Hi….I'm sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if you had a second to talk?"

She holds up her hand as if to say 'give me a second', but she also could have been flipping me. I don't really get a good look before she drops her hand and sends a half dozen darts sailing down the range to imbed themselves in the chest or head region of three of the slowly rotating targets. It's an impressive feat, to say the least, but from the look on her face, I can assume she's not as happy as I'd have been in her shoes.

She quickly make her way over to the wall and slams her fist into the return button and sends the targets shooting towards the front of the range where she angrily rips her darts out, tearing the paper on one of them in the process before turning towards me and stretching out her hand to offer me the darts.

"If we're going to talk you'd should, at least, train with me while we do."

"I….Thank you but I'm not very good with darts."

"It's not that hard, and I'm pretty sure I can teach you."

She forces the darts into my hand and casually turns back to the targets and quickly replaces the shredded papers with new ones before sending them all the way to the back of the range and then gradually moving them forward until they're maybe fifteen or so yards from the front.

"That's as close as they get. Now if you hold it like this and follow through with a smooth motion you should be ok. Watch me and then you try."

She makes a show of going slow and exaggerating every motion to make sure I understand before sending her first dart sailing into the center of the scoring ring in her targets right eye. With a pleased smile she turns toward me and watches with mild interest as I line up my first shot and send it sailing into the six ring on the torso of my target.

"Not bad for a beginner. So what was it you wanted to talk about?"

She asks this in passing while sending another dart screaming into the opposite eye of her target before quickly following up with one right in the center of its head.

"I was hoping to discuss the particulars of an alliance with you. If you're of a mind to do so that is."

"Oh I am, but why don't you tell me what you would have to offer."

"Aside from my district partners award-winning smile and dry wit?"

"Are those really your selling points?"

"No, but they are a sometimes, annoying piece of the package."

"I can deal with annoying as long as he's worth it as a partner."

"Well he was ranked at the top of his class in the academy."

As long as she doesn't ask him about that we should be ok, I mean how is she going to know I'm lying about that?

"Sounds promising, but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well I'd assume you're part of the alliance too, so what exactly would you bring to the table in our alliance?"

"I can swim, I'm amazing with knots and traps, I can hold my own with a sword. Would you like me to continue or is that enough?"

"No that should be enough….Ok I like what I hear so I'll give it a go, on one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"I want a say on anyone else we invite in, and the boy from One is out. After his little show at his reaping I absolutely will not work with him."

"Even if it means we lose the girl from One?"

"If she's insistent on having him as an ally her judgment is pretty shitty, so she'd make a less than useful ally."

Well she's got me there but I'm still not all that comfortable with cutting someone out of the alliance before they even have a chance to prove themselves. Then again she's definitely capable, even more so because she's willing to join, maybe keeping him out is worth it to avoid having her as an enemy for a little while.

"I have to run the second part by my partner, but I doubt either of those will a problem…..If you're sure you'll join that is."

"That's exactly the kind of measured answer I was hoping for, it shows you're not desperate."

"So that was a test?"

"Partly, but I am serious about not working with him. If we can agree on that then I'm in."

What do I really have to lose?

"In that case….Welcome aboard."

* * *

 **Alex Trake-13(D2M)**

Antonia and the girl from Four have been all but inseparable and it's really starting to worry me. I mean we never actually talked about an official partnership or anything like that, but I kind of assumed she'd at least include me in an alliance if she found one. Then again maybe I'm worried over nothing and they just haven't had a chance to tell me about it yet.

"Of course that's what it is Alex, there's no way Antonia would turn her back on her own district partner, not after all that talk on the train about loyalty and respect."

I make my way over towards the small training station where the two of them are throwing darts and do my best to listen in on their conversation while appearing both uninterested and as if I'm not eavesdropping. Unfortunately it's harder to pull off then I thought it would be and after almost five minutes of trying to edge myself into hearing range I finally give up and decide on the direct approach, that's probably what they're expecting me to do anyway.

"Hey Antonia, are you going to introduce me to your new friend here?"

"Alex, finally decided to just come talk instead of trying to listen in?"

"That's not what I was doing, I was simply making sure your conversation was kept private. After all it would have been unfortunate for someone who's not welcome to have been listing in wouldn't it?"

"You mean like you?"

"Again I wasn't listening in I was making sure no one else….And do you mean to say I'm not welcome around here?"

"No you're obviously welcome to go where ever you want during training, but you also don't have to hover just outside ear shot of me either."

Well it looks like we made our way to this point a little faster then I'd have liked but at least she hasn't kicked me to the curb yet. I just hope I can manage to navigate this in a way that doesn't get me locked out of any alliance my district partner may or may not be forming here.

"Look if I'm bothering you just say so, but you still haven't introduced me to your friend so I guess I'll have to do that myself. Hello as I'm sure you've probably figured out by now I'm Alex and it's my pleasure to be Antonia's district partner."

I offer my hand and the small girl from Four hesitates for the briefest of moments before extending her own and accepting my handshake with a rather forced-looking smile.

"I'm Iona. Antonia and I were just discussing an alliance and…."

"An alliance is it, can I assume it's the traditional career alliance you're trying to put together?"

"Why else would the girl from Four and I be talking bright one?"

"Hey there's no need for that I was just asking a question."

"He's right there's no harm in asking a question and yes it is the traditional career alliance, or at least a variation of it."

"Just out of curiosity where exactly does the District Two male fit into your 'variation'?"

The two of them exchange puzzled looks and for a few seconds I'm worried I might have just killed my chances of getting into the alliance, and after a few seconds Antonia leans in and whispers something in Iona's ear that might as well be my death warrant as I'm all but positive she's telling her I can't be a part of the alliance.

"Well Antonia seems to think you could be an asset; so if you're interested we would be more than happy to have you as a member."

I'm almost shocked to hear he say that and I'm fairly sure my relief is evident on my face as the two of them give me a funny look that doesn't go away for the better part of a minute as I try to sort through and process the immense feeling of relief I've just been given.

"I guess that sounds good."

"Great well lunch is about to start so why don't the two of you come meet my district partner and we can talk about Antonia's condition for joining the alliance."

"Condition, what condition?"

"If it applied to you then you'd already know so it obviously doesn't. Now hurry up and help us return these darts so we can get some food before all the good stuff is picked over."

The three of us quickly gather up the darts and return them to the trainer just as the horn sounds and everyone starts to slowly make their way towards the far side of the room where Tal and the other trainers are passing out food. From here it doesn't look like anything special but I'm surprisingly hungry so I doubt I'll be too picky, besides I'm in far too good a mood to really care.

I managed to work my way into the career alliance and I didn't even have to show them what I can do and as long as I don't screw up I might have a chance to make my parents and Hero proud after all. As long as I don't let my guard down and act confident than I should be ok. I just hope it's as easy as my brain is trying to make it sound because the last thing I can afford is for the games strongest tributes to think I'm weak or a fool. I guess I'll need to be careful around them until I'm on surer footing, provided I can get myself on sure footing that is.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone this is the first part of Training Day 1 and I decided to go with fewer POV's but more detail to try and really flush the tributes out a bit better so I hope no one minds :)**

 **I'm also going to forgo questions but I still love to read everyone's reviews so let me know what you think of our budding little career alliance and what you think of the chapter overall. Also the next chapter should be out around Wednesday as this next week is my spring break so I'll have more free time to write without school. :D**

 **Anyway thank you all for reading and I hope to see you all at the next update :D**


	10. Making the Best of Things(TD 1 Part 2)

**Audrie Christison-13(D1F)**

I'm not sure how I feel about all this, on the one hand, I'm not like to get a much better alliance offer then this regardless of how even the odds say everyone is. Then again if everyone is as evenly matched as Verity seems to think they are then why should I break ranks with my district partner, someone I know I can trust a little bit for a group whose motives are a mystery?

"Look Audrie this is really a pretty straightforward offer, dump your pathetic district partner and join up with us or don't and find yourself squarely at the top of the career hit list once the games start. I don't know about you but that seems like a pretty simple choice to me."

"Is that supposed to scare me Lachlan?"

"If you're smart it should at the very least help you understand just what's on the line."

"I fully understand what's at stake, what I don't understand is what changed between the start of lunch and know. Just before we broke for lunch you told me Topaz and I were safely in the alliance but now for no justifiable reason, Topaz has become an absolute no go. How in the world did that happen and, more importantly, how did it happen so fast?"

"Well, my district partner brought the pair from Two completely into the fold on the condition that Topaz wouldn't be allowed to join. After listing to Antonia's reasoning on the matter I decided that she was right and the decision was made to rescind his invitation to join the alliance."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that, after all, he's not going to bring a lot to the table in the way of sponsorship so what incentive do we have to drag him along for the ride?"

"Because he's a kid just like the rest of us; because it's heartless to single him out as worthless solely on the one moment of weakness he's had while ignoring all the things he can do for an alliance."

He offers me what I'm pretty sure is a sarcastic grin as he bobs his head along with my voice, the only problem is he continues to grin stupidly and bob for almost half a minute after I stop talking and it takes every ounce of my strength and restraint not to slap that smug look of his face. Seriously if you're not going to take my arguments seriously than just say so and let's not waste both our time doing it.

"If you're not going to take me seriously then are we even talking?"

"I do take you seriously Audrie; I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't."

"You just don't care about my opinion then or do you really dislike Topaz that much?"

"Like I said the only way to get District Two on board was to guarantee that Topaz would be explicitly excluded from the alliance and while I'm not sure just how talented the boy is my partner ensures me that Aurelia's talent more than justifies the commitment."

"So this entire decision is based solely on the belief that Aurelia's combat prowess outweighs mine and Topaz's. How can you decide that without either one of us having a chance to prove ourselves?"

"What part of my offer is confusing to you? I've been trying to tell you that you don't even need to prove yourself because we want you in the alliance. All you have to do is agree to cut bait with your partner and you're in, we might need you to off him in the bloodbath but we can discuss that when it's closer to that time."

I can't believe this; I mean what kind of monster can have a casual conversation about killing someone like this? I mean sure the Hunger Games can and probably will bring out the worst in everyone myself included but to be so casual and flippant about it is just unnecessary. The only thing I can think of to justify this is that Lachlan's trying to play the part of a normal career and he thinks this is how they act, the only other explanation is that he's an unfeeling brute and despite everything he's pulled or is currently trying to pull I'd like to believe that he's not the completely heartless monster he's trying to be. I just don't know if that's the case, though.

"Look I need an answer and I need it now. So what's it gonna be Audrie, are you in or out?"

"I….I'm out."

"Excellent so I'll go introduce you to the others and we can get star…..What did you say?"

"I said I'm out Lachlan. Being a 'career' isn't worth becoming a monster like the tributes in that alliance do, especially not when the talent is so evenly spread."

"You have got to be the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. I offer you a no strings attached spot in the alliance that WILL provide this year's winner and you're turning it down for Topaz! Seriously you're going to pass on a sure-fire winner of an alliance for that pathetic little shit?"

"He's not pathetic he was just scared, and at least, he's overconfident pompous ass who's willing to pass judgment on a tributes ability to contribute before he even knows what that tribute can do. You're exactly the wrong kind of ally to have because you're only looking at a narrow range of skills without thinking about the big picture."

"There's no reason for you or Topaz to worry about that now because I guarantee neither of you will be making it past the bloodbath, not after that little speech."

"Are you afraid of words Lachlan or were there just too many big ones you didn't know that you couldn't understand what I was saying?"

"Be flippant about this while you can because in a couple of days you're going to be just another blood stain on the arena floor and I'm going to enjoy watching the life leave your eyes while the blood oozes out of the hole I'm going to tear open in your smug throat."

I really want to hit him right now but he spins around and retreats from the area before I have a chance to act. Instead, I'm forced to swallow my anger and shoulder my way back into the mass of tributes migrating back to training after lunch.

I'm not sure I made the soundest tactical decision in turning down a spot in what passes for the career alliance this year but in my heart I know I made the soundest personal decision. In the end, I'm just not willing to sacrifice a good ally to appease one whose talents I've never seen and if that's the kind of alliance Lachlan and the others are willing to form then I'm glad I'm not a part of it.

I just wish I knew how to explain what happened to Topaz, it's going to be hard t explain how we went from careers to alliance less in less than an hour and I haven't even begun to think of what I'm going to say to Hank and Verity after training lets out for the day. Verity will probably understand but I don't know how I'm going to justify my decision to her dad, after going out of his way to make it abundantly clear that he's not interested in excuses and sentiment but in winners. I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it, right now I have to focus on training and looking for an alliance that both Topaz and I can get into, everything else will just have to wait.

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

I'm not exactly sure what the girl from One and the boy from Four were arguing about but if her current body language is any indication it couldn't have been very positive. I'm not all that confident that what I'm about to do is all that good an idea but I can't just sit tight with Archie as my only ally and hope everyone else falls apart at the seams, I have to take some kind of step to give myself a real chance to win the games. I just wish Thomas had been a little more helpful on the subject of recruiting allies; what little help he did give essentially boils down to 'don't make an ass of yourself'.

"Hey One, can I talk to you for a second?"

"My names not One it's Audrie. If you're going to try talking to people you could, at least, make an effort to guess their name instead of referring to them by district number."

Well, this is exactly as bad as I'd feared it would be, I'm not even five seconds into the conversation and I've already offended her. Why can't girls be as easy to talk to as boys are, like seriously if I'd called any boy in the world by their district number I doubt they'd have reacted so….Hostilely.

"Sorry, I just assumed you'd have been more offended if I'd called you by the wrong name or butchered yours beyond recognition."

It's….It's fine I'm just a little uptight right now and I'm taking it out on you, I apologize for that."

"I understand, all of this has everyone a little on edge right now….So do you have a second to talk?"

"Well, that depends."

"Depends on what?"

"What it is you plan to ask me."

Well, I guess it's now or never, I just need to ask her and hope for the best. Ok one…Two…Three….GO!

"I was wondering if you'd be interested in discussing an alliance with my district partner and me."

I'm not sure if the thoughtful look on her face is a good thing or a bad thing but she hasn't laughed in my face yet so at least I have that going for me. The two of us stare at each other for the better part of a minute before my eyes start to water and another thirty seconds or so until I'm forced to blink. I silently curse myself out for blinking first as I'm all but certain that she was testing me and by flinching first I've just destroyed my chance of getting a seriously talented ally for the games, at least, I'm sure of that until she starts laughing.

"That was pretty impressive, most people don't last half that long in a staring contest with me. I'm just glad I was able to hold on, another few seconds and I'd have been the one to blink first."

"So that was….A game or something like that?"

"More of a battle of wills than anything else but you could call it a game if you wanted. My friends back in One and I, we use to do that all the time during the boring parts of training at the center. This one time my friend Camira got into this super intense contest with this girl a few years ahead of us in training during the tribute selection ceremony. The two of them just glared at each other for like five minutes before the other girl finally broke. I've never seen someone so mad over something so small in my entire life, it was hilarious."

"That's….great, at least, I think it is anyway."

"Sorry, I'm sure you're not interested in hearing about all the boring things my friend and I did before I got reaped."

"No, it's not that….I just….I just don't have anything comparable to share back. I mean I've had my share of adventures with my friends but nothing like that."

"Well, you could always tell me about something you and your friends did. We're just talking about memories from back home after all so it's not like our experiences should be the same or anything."

"Ok then….I guess I could tell you about the time my friends and I tried to invent a new color at the dye factory and ended up turning the entire floor some kind of sickly purplish brown color."

"Ok, now I have to hear this. How did you manage to pull that off?"

"Well, first we waited until the floor supervisor had made his hourly rounds. Once he was safely out of the area my friends Twyla and Ottoman snuck in from their areas and brought a few things they thought would make interesting color combinations. Most of it was junk but they did bring a few useful items for us to base our color ideas on. After we decided to try to go for a marbled purple color I loaded the dye mixer with a small amount for us to test our idea on and started the mixer. Unfortunately, I also neglected to close the valves tightly and during the mixing process the shaking of the machine opened the valves and sent a flood of colors rushing into the mixer."

"You didn't, this has to be a joke."

"I wish it was. Anyway by the time any of us noticed the valves were open the mixer was overflowing and the floor was about ankle deep with dye."

"I can't believe you would do something like that. Did you get in trouble for it?"

"No thankfully they never found out it was us. The entire factory had to help clean up the mess but that's not nearly as bad as it would have been if we'd gotten caught."

"Well, that must have been one interesting day, not as cool as mine but still not bad."

She lets out a small giggle before playfully punching my arm a few times before quickly retreating the second I try to retaliate. For a moment, I fear she's making fun of me, that she managed to convince me to spill my guts like a fool only to decide that she's too good to join an alliance with the poor unfortunate souls from Eight. Again I silently curse myself for being so foolish and forthright, I guess I'm just a little farther out of my element then I thought I was.

"So this alliance you're trying to form. Who's in it so far?"

Well, I'm even worse at reading girls than I thought I was. I swear it's like a girl's body language and face can say one thing while their heart and brain are saying something completely different. Why can't they be as easy to read as boys are?

"Right now it's just my district partner Archie and me, but with you, I feel like we'd have a pretty decent chance to make some noise in the g…."

"Hold on just a second it's not going to be just me. My district partner Topaz would have to be included if I'm going to commit to joining."

I'm starting to feel like this was the whole mess that had her so uptight earlier, and I'm almost certain her including her partner in the alliance was the reason she's not with the normal career districts in their slowly budding little alliance.

Now I'm sure the careers have what they think is a solid reason for refusing to allow Topaz into their alliance and it might be a good idea to try to understand their reasoning behind refusing to let him in. On the other hand, I really can't afford to drive away the one unallied tribute that's going to rate sponsor support by default just because she's insistent on her partner being included in any alliance she enters.

"If you're willing to vouch for him then I see no reason why he couldn't be a part of our alliance."

"Well, in that case, let's go see if we can find Topaz and Archie. We should probably let them know their partners have come to an amicable arrangement that's about to create an alliance the likes of which Panem has never seen before."

Well, I'll say this for Audrie, she certainly has a flair for the dramatic. She's a little loopy and out there and not at all what I expected when I decided to talk to her, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Having her being such a different person than I was expecting is probably the only reason she's willing to give our alliance a chance and as long as she's willing to try then I will too. I just hope Archie and Topaz are as willing to work together as we are.

* * *

 **Luell Berring-13(D5M)**

So far I've only managed to make one friend today and while Dargo is a pretty nice person he's not all that talkative. That might not be a terrible trait in reality but after listening to Abner talk nonstop for the better part of the last eleven years plus it's a little different to find someone so quiet and reserved.

"So what do you think we should do next Dargo?"

"I'm….Not sure. Why are you asking me?"

"Well we already did the stuff I wanted to try today but the only thing you got to work on was a little bit of weapon stuff while I learned how to use a knife earlier. I figure it's your turn to pick something."

"First off I'm not sure what you did with a knife would constitute 'learning', second I really don't know what we should do next. None of our primary skills really seem to overlap all that well."

Well he does have a point there. Almost all of my skills and talents are book or technical related but he's not overly comfortable with that kind of stuff. On the other hand all the hands on stuff he's great at is like reading in a foreign language to me, I just can't seem to grasp it what he's trying to explain.

"Why don't we try something relatively simple then? Maybe you could teach me how to start a fire?"

"Well that wouldn't be a bad place to start, and if I can teach you that we might be able to open up a few cross training avenues we don't currently have."

"Terrific let's get to it shall we?"

The two of us make our way across the surprisingly busy training floor and back into the little corner alcove where the majority of the survival stations are located only to find the girl from Three already hard at work in the far corner of the station. For a second, I consider asking Dargo if he wants to leave but the smile on his face reassures me that he's completely committed to teaching me how to do this even if we do have an audience. He leads me over to the table where the instructor is sitting and begins to look through some of the materials until a soft ringing noise causes both of us to look around in wonder.

"What do you think that was Luell?"

I offer him an unknowing shake of my head but the trainer quickly interjects and offers us an answer with a gentle tone and a slight laugh.

"That means you've entered the last forty-five minutes of today's training. In a half hour you'll hear another, slightly louder tone. When you hear that it's time to clean up your stuff and get ready to head back up to your rooms."

"So do we still have enough time to train at this station?"

"That's up to you two, I personally don't mind but I do ask that you're careful when it comes to starting and putting out your fires."

I turn and look at Dargo with a sheepish grin while he tries to decide if it's worth the trouble of trying to set everything up and teach me with so little time remaining. Finally after a few seconds of indecision he motions for me to follow him after offering the trainer a brief thank you for his help.

"We don't really have enough time for me to teach you anything of value today. However we can see if she needs any help finishing up, that way we don;t waste time and I can still cover some of the basics of safety and control."

He leads me in a roundabout way across the area and up to the side of the rather oblivious but incredibly focused pale little girl from Three who appears to be trying to will a fire into existence with her mind. After looking at her I'm not sure it's wise to interrupt her work and I can tell by his hesitant movements that Dargo probably feels the same way, fortunately for us after about fifteen or so seconds of us standing there she finally notices our presence, or she's, at least, bothered enough by us to acknowledge our presence.

"Can one of you hand me the little bottle of glycerine on the table over there?"

She sticks her finger out in the general direction of a table and with an inaudible sigh Dargo spins around and heads to retrieve it while I bend in to get a closer look at whatever it is she's working on. In the center of her legs is a small ceramic bowl with a purplish granular looking substance piled in the center of the bowl with a small bag sitting immediately to the bowls left.

I really want to ask her what it is she's doing but before I have the chance Dargo returns and carefully passes her the bottle and my question dies on my lips as she quickly hands the bag of powder to me before carefully unscrewing the bottles lid and gingerly squeezing the contents of the eye dropper into the bowl directly on top of the powder.

After she's finished she quickly caps the bottle and hands it to Dargo while the three of us stare at the now soggy looking powder intently. I feel a little silly staring at wet powder like this and I think she might be a crazy but a few seconds later a small plume of smoke rises up from the bowl seconds before the entire pile catches fire and goes up in a blaze.

"Dargo how...How did she do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask her instead of me."

He's got a point and before I can think twice I swing myself down into a sitting position next to her and extend my hand in greeting.

"Hi I'm Luell and this is my ally Dargo."

For a second I'm not sure she knows how to respond as she simply stares down at my hand and the bowl below without making a move to reciprocate my greeting or refuse it, however after a few seconds of awkward silence she thrusts her hand into mine and returns my greeting with a surprisingly firm shake.

"I'm Quanta and thank you both for helping me with this."

"You're welcome, I'm not sure what we did but we were happy to help."

"Well you honestly didn't do a whole lot, but it was nice to have someone close by in case I'd set myself on fire. I've never tried this before and I was a little worried I'd mess up and cause a big boom."

"Then I'm happy to have provided you with the moral support you needed."

She offers me a pretty smile before turning her gaze back to her bowl and launching into a rather complicated sounding explanation of what it was she was doing and how she thinks she could apply it and make a homemade explosive in the arena, provided she has the right materials and what not.

I'm not sure how long she goes on about this as I'm completely lost after a few seconds and judging by the look on Dargo's face he was lost before I was. After a few minutes a loud, high-pitched whine emanates from the overhead speakers and the trainer motions to us from his table that that's the signal to clean up for the day.

Quanta quickly smothers her fire and scoops up her supplies before heading over to return them while Dargo and I dispose of the remnants of her fire.

"So what do you think of her Dargo?"

"I think she's probably the smartest tribute in this room, and she might be smarter than a good portion of the trainers too. Why?"

"Well I was thinking….Like you said she's obviously pretty smart and she seems to understand this stuff pretty well….And she'd probably be a big help in the arena…..So maybe it would be a good idea for us to see if she'd be interested in…."

"If you want to invite her to join the alliance then go ahead, as long as she doesn't blow either of us up trying something out I think she'd be a big help too."

"So you're on board?"

"I guess so, but you have to ask her."

"Why me?"

"Well, it's your idea after all so you should be the one to invite her."

We turn the bowl and the charred remains of the small reaction into avox in the far corner of the room who quickly dumps the contents into an orange barrel with the words 'Hazardous Materials' stamped on the side in bright red letters before offering a slight bow and retreating back into the cavernous confines of the walls and passageways that crisscross the center in a way that allows the avox to be anywhere they need to be without having to fight through tributes to get there.

"Thank you again for your help, both of you. Also thanks for taking care of my bowl for me too."

Dargo offers her a slight nod before gently pushing me towards her as he spins around and heads toward the elevators where a mass of tributes are already gathering in a futile to cram themselves into the life first. Taking the hint from Dargo I decide to just ask Quanta to be our ally before I can chicken out, and while I try to sound confident I'm not sure if it comes off that way or like it always seems to do when I try to lie to mom back home.

"Hey Quanta, Dargo and I were wondering….Well, that is to say, we'd like to invite you…..If you don't already have one that is would you like to be….."

"Yes Luell I'd love to join your alliance. A long as you don't mind having a mad scientist with an overly inquisitive mind tagging along with you guys in the arena."

"I'm sure we'll be able to manage."

I extend my hand to her again and this time she takes it firmly and without hesitation before offering me a few overly enthusiastic pumps in what I'm half sure is an attempt to rip my arm out of its socket or the least vestiges of a major spaz attack that quickly subsides as she releases my hand and skips off toward the rapidly dwindling mass of tributes waiting for the elevator.

Well today might not have gone entirely according to plan as no one really plans or knows how to react once they're thrust into the uncertainty that is the Hunger Games, but given that I managed to make two new friends and gain two decent allies for the games today went about as good as I could have possibly hoped. I just hope the rest of the games go this smoothly because if they do I just might see my family again after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that wraps up the first day of training and as you can see we already have 2 major alliances and 2 smaller ones on the map with many more to come :). I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and is ok with the format of fewer but longer POV's that I'm currently trying out.**

 **1\. What do you think of the career alliance so far?**

 **2\. What do you think of the alliance between District 1 and District 8?**

 **3\. Which one do you think is better?**

 **4\. What do you think of the team of Luell, Dargo, and Quanta?**

 **5\. Finally which alliance is your favorite overall?**

 **Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I hope to see all of you tis weekend for the start of training day 2 :D**


	11. Mind Games(Training Day 2 Part 1)

**Verity Sangster(D1 Mentor)**

I don't think my dad has stopped berating Audrie since he got up this morning. I understand part of his point but I don't think he's even trying to look at this from her point of view. To him, she's a tribute from a career district who's bucking tradition for an alliance with Topaz and the kids from Eight that he views as inherently inferior. The thing he can't or might even refuse to see is that this isn't a normal year and none of these tributes are either, at least not by District One standards.

"I just don't understand how you could make such a stupid decision, after everything we talked about over the last two days you went threw all our hard work right out the window like an idiot. What were you thinking?!"

"Dad that's enough."

"No it's not Verity, and I think I deserve an answer to such a fundamentally important question."

"It doesn't matter why she did it the fact is she did it. Now we have to find a way to garner support for the two of them and their allies from Eight."

"That's not what we're going to do, she's going to apologise for being so irrational and beg the careers to accept her into the traditional alliance. Topaz can stick with the losers from Eight but I refuse to let Audrie throw away an alliance tailor-made for victory for his sake."

"First off dad they're sitting right here. Second they've both made their decision and this is what they've decided to do, our JOB is to help them win within the framework of their decisions, we don't get to make them for them."

"That's the most defeatist thing I've ever heard out of your mouth, no wonder you haven't been able to bring a tribute home. Has Velvet been this soft too, because that would explain why we've had such shitty results the last two years."

Well, that was just uncalled for, does he think I'm going to sit here and let him insult me and my tributes like this? Maybe it's been too long since he had to mentor someone who didn't hang on his every word or piece of advice as gospel or maybe his personality is just that commanding that he's not used to not getting his way every time but if we're going to mentor together he's going to have to start getting used to it. He may be my dad but that only goes so far and it doesn't count for a thing in the Capitol.

"That's enough Hank….Audrie, you and Topaz need to head down to the training center right now, the two of us need to have a talk. It might be good for you to take the stylists downstairs for a drink as well Savera."

"That's an excellent idea. Come along children we can all ride down together, and maybe Audrie can tell us a little more about this girl from Eight. Is her name really Connor? What an interesting little deviation from traditional gender usage in naming."

"I….I guess it's a little different. I didn't really think about it, to be honest."

"To think the two of you just happened to luck into an alliance with such an interestingly named tribute. Trust me when I say she's going to be all the rage by the time the games start. It was a good move for the two of you to lock her up as an ally early on before everyone else is trying to get her too."

I watch with barely contained fury as the five of them spill into the life and wait for the door to slide closed. Once it does and the sound of the lift fades from the immediate area I turn towards my dad and unload on him with a vigor and anger I didn't know I possessed. Normally I'm a much more reserved and calculating person but his attitude has brought out the bitch in me I thought I'd buried after my victory in the quell.

"I don't know what your problem is with Topaz or what it is you're not understanding about how this is supposed to work but you need to fix it fast. If I hear one more derogatory comment leveled at either of them from you I promise those will be the last word you say to or about either of them, not to mention this will be the last time you mentor tributes in the games. Have I made myself clear?"

"You don't get to talk to me like that young lady. I'm your father and you will show me the respect I des…."

"Right now you're not my father, you're my partner. We're coworkers right now and you need to remember that. I'm not going to sit here and let you tear our tributes down like this. The only thing that's going to accomplish is to destroy what little self-esteem they have at a time when they won't be able to rebuild it before it's too late."

"I'm trying to mentor a winner Verity, maybe you've forgotten but I pushed you and your brothers this hard and look how it turned out, all three of you are alive, all three of you are victors. My methods may seem a little harsh but the results speak for themselves."

"This isn't even close to the same situation dad; Justice, Concord and I, we were raised to be in the games. Some of my earliest memories involve going over weapons handling and major injury treatment in an arena setting, Topaz and Audrie don't have any of that. Neither of them would have ever ended up here if the rules hadn't been changed, they wouldn't be here if they hadn't banned volunteering, neither of them asked for or want any part of this."

"It doesn't matter what they want Verity because this is what they get. Whether they want to be here or not they are and they need to start thinking about how to get home. I'm sorry but Topaz has no shot and we both know that and while the pair from Eight might be better than he is how much better than the careers can any of them really be?"

"In a normal year I agree this would be a suicidal decision, but this isn't a normal year and none of them are normal tributes. We have to trust that our tributes are making the right decisions and sell the sponsors on what they decide to do."

"I see you feel very strongly about this."

"I do, and you need to get on board with it and help our tributes instead of second guessing them every step of the way."

"Ok we'll try it your way kiddo, but when this goes sideways and it will go sideways you're the one who's going to have to explain what happened to the sponsors and the people back home. I hope you're ready for that burden Verity, it's not easy to live with."

"I know that dad….I've had to live with it for the last two years."

* * *

 **Alden Devaire-13(D9F)**

I don't think I'm very good at this whole 'making friends by being yourself' thing that Kimma is trying to get me to do. I mean it's a refreshing change not to have to act like someone whose only goal in life is to make it through the day so she can party the night away like I was expected to be back home but I'm not sure I make all that convincing a 'normal girl' either.

To make matters worse the only person I've been able to even remotely connect with has been my district partner Jamie and while he seems like a very nice boy I just can't get over the fact that whenever we're talking he's carrying on a separate conversation with his 'sister' that always seems to spill over into ours. That's why I had to turn down his offer to join the alliance he's forming with the girl from Seven who I think he referred to as Sequoia and the super sweet little girl from Ten Fern. I mean sure being in an alliance would be an extremely helpful thing especially considering the fact that I'm even more clueless and unprepared then tributes from Nine normally are but none of them really seem like they'd give me a real boost over where I would be if I didn't join the alliance. I might even be better off not in that particular alliance given Jamie's extravagant nature and the less than impressive image the girls project, even by this year's skewed standard all three of them practically scream bloodbath.

I push the thoughts and my worries from my mind as the life comes to a smooth stop and Jamie and I slip out with maybe half a dozen other tributes and quickly make our way down the hall under the ever watchful gaze of a hundred and three previous victors that line the wall. Part of me in unnerved by having to do this twice a day, it's not like we're all not intimidated as it is do they really need to march us past the pictures every day?

Rather than dwell under their oppressive gazes, I lower my eyes to the ground and quicken my pace and slip into the training center maybe ten or so steps ahead of the others in my group. Once the last straggler who to my complete lack of surprise is Jamie finally makes his way past the doors and into the center proper I loud clicking noise emanates throughout the room as the magnetic door locks snap into place as Tal'shia strides into the center of the room and lets out an ear-splitting whistle to draw our attention towards him.

"Ok, now that we have everyone here we can get started. Now today's compulsory exercise is fairly simple and straightforward but you'll need to pay attention to my instructions so we don't have a repeat of yesterdays accident. Now yesterday we worked on endurance and stamina so today we'll be focusing more on speed. Now we're going to do this with a little bit of a competition. In a few seconds, I'll have you split off into two groups boys on the left and girls on the right. We'll start with the girls, now I'm sure all of you can see Antonius down at the far end of the training center, when I say go the girls will take off in a race down to him, whoever gets to him first is done and may begin individual training while the eleven losers will wait for the boys to join them at the far end before racing back to me, again the winner is done while the losers will keep competing until we have the slowest girl and the slowest boy remaining. After that the last two will race against each other in a final chance to save a little face and not be titled slowest tribute. Do I have any questions?"

Everyone just stands there as his eyes pass over each of us in turn before he decides we either all understand or we don't but none of us are going to ask for clarification so he simply holds out his hands and after a few seconds of uncertainty all of us start to move to the respective side of the room our gender indicates we should go towards though that doesn't stop a few tributes from ending up on the wrong side only to be laughed at until they manage to make their way over to the correct one.

"Ok ladies as you can see each of your lanes is numbered one through twelve and you have a fairly decent amount of room to run. Under no circumstances are you allowed to cross the line into someone else's lane, cheating will not be tolerated and will result in you being required to run in all the races regardless of where you finish. Now on the far end, the line will record who crossed over first by lighting the number on the board in green, this is to eliminate any possibility of conflict over the winner. Now on three, your first heat will begin. One….Two….THREE!"

I take off at a sprint before he finishes the word but even so I'm still at best in the middle of the pack as the girls from One and Two sprint out to what appears to be an insurmountable lead. I do my best to catch up but by the halfway point it's apparent that I have no chance of doing so, knowing this and the fact that where I place here isn't as big a concern as winning a race in the early stages I slow down and attempt to catch my breath as the runners towards the back of the pack start to catch up while the frontrunners quickly pull away.

I reach the finish line ahead of at least five other tributes as the girl from One is quietly led away from the area and in the general direction of the combat stations. I try to keep her in my sight but she slips around a corner and I'm prevented from reacquiring her by a pair of trainers who gently heard me back towards the other girls.

We're given a chance to get water and stretch out a bit as the boys start their first race and just like you'd expect it's another career tribute who wins their race as the boy from Four finishes almost thirty seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. After all of them finally finish it's our turn to go again and they have us quickly line back up while the boys take our place on the sidelines. This time I manage to get off to a much better start but I still wind up finishing a very distant third behind the girl from Four and the girl from Two who wins with relative easy this time around. Again we're given a chance to recover while the boys run their next race, which to my amazement is won quite handily by the boy from Ten who simply shrugs off his impressive performance before quietly slipping away into the eerie silence of the training floor.

It takes me another three races to finally come out on top as the girl from Four easily wins the third one while the girl from Seven surprises everyone and surges to an easy win in the fourth but coming out as the fifth-fastest girl overall is good enough for me. After taking a few minutes to recover and watching the boys catch up with us and the girl from Three eek out a win over the girl from Twelve I finally head out to the training floor and quickly make my way towards the weapon training area as it's the one area I avoided yesterday and I figure if I want to avoid embarrassing myself trying to learn how to fight this is the time to do it.

By the time I find my way through the maze-like layout of stations to the combat ones I find the girl from Two off in a corner throwing darts and moving holo targets while the girls from One and Four are working on sword techniques with trainers though it looks like they're trying to keep as much distance between themselves as possible given the limited space. I decide to mentally file this little morsel for discussion with Kimma later and move towards the weapon rack in the far corner where a mountain of a man with biceps bigger than my head stands polishing the blade of a massive great sword.

"You know which weapon you want or are you just browsing girl?"

"Are you talking to me?"

"You see any other girls looking at the weapons?"

"Well, not really….No, I'm the only one."

"Then I'm talking to you. So do you know what you want to use or do you need a little help?"

"I….I guess I need a little help. I've never really thought about using a weapon so I'm not sure where to even start with picking one."

"Well that's what I'm here for, so what kind of tools and the like do you have experience with?"

"I've used a kama to harvest crops back home in Nine, but I'm not sure if that's really helpful or not."

"Actually, it's incredibly helpful, we have kama's and a boat load of other oriental inspired weapons. Some tributes, especially those from outer districts adapt to them easier than they do to traditional weapons like swords because they don't have years of exposure to the weapon and its general uses from previous games."

He disappears around the back side of the weapon rack and returns with four perfectly polished and gleaming kama's. He hands two of them to me before motioning for me to follow him out onto the floor and setting one of the weapons on the floor before dropping down into a crouch and signaling for me to do the same.

"First off I guess we should start with names, I'm Achilles and I'm going to need you to listen very closely while we go over this."

"I'm Alden and I'm not sure this is really all that hard to use. I mean I've been using it to harvest crops back home for almost five years."

"It's fairly straight forward when you're using it as a tool, but as a weapon, it's a whole different animal. I've seen experiences fighters drive the tips into their own thighs because they didn't take the weapon seriously enough and I'd hate to see the same thing happen to you in the arena. Now I only teach the use of this weapon one way and that's my way, I'd love to teach you but if you'd rather go it alone….."

"No that's um….That's not necessary. We'll go at your speed and on your schedule."

"Perfect, now the first thing to remember with this or any other weapon is that your grip determines everything from your strike power to your style…."

* * *

 **Aldrin Derino-13(D6M)**

I can't believe I let that little pipsqueak from Ten beat me in the second race. I was a good ten feet ahead of him entering the home stretch and I didn't think for a second my win was ever in doubt, until he streaked past me and embarrassed me in front of all the trainers and game makers that is. I guess this means I'll just have to work harder to impress everyone between now and the start of the games not that I didn't plan on doing that anyway but now it's much more impactful that I do and I think I know just where to start.

I make my way towards the combat stations where the girls from Two and Four are currently returning their respective weapons to the trainers while the girl from One spars with a trainer and the girl from Nine listen intently to the instructions of another. Normally I'd be curious as to what exactly that weakling from Nine could hope to learn about combat but my interest today lie elsewhere and my targets are currently trying to lose me in a mass of people as the slowest tributes look like they've finished running and everyone finally starts to migrate out onto the training room floor. Luckily I manage to catch site of the Two girls reddish hued hair through the mess of heads and limbs and follow it off into a corner where the boys from their districts listen with varying degrees of interest as the shelter building trainer attempts to explain how to build a lean-to without the advantage of a wall, or at least that's what it looks like from here.

"Remind me again why we need to worry about shelter? I mean it's not like we won't end up setting up camp in the cornucopia anyway."

"You're doing it Lachlan because I'm your district partner and I decided this is what we're learning first today. Also, what if the cornucopia isn't a stable shelter? It was only two years ago that it was a theme park ride for crying out loud."

"Come on Iona what are the odds it'll be like that again so soon? They go out of their way to not recycle arena climates that often I'm sure they'll do the same with the cornucopia."

"She has a point, and it never hurts to be well rounded before we go in."

"Ok are you sure you're a guy Alex? Because every guy I've ever met back in Four drilled one thing into my brain with respect to the games, train to kill. Do it first, do it last, do it right. How does learning how to make a lean-to help any of us eliminate the competition and win the games?"

Well it looks like the boy from Four is the leader of this little alliance, and what's more, it sounds like he's a man of action too. This is perfect for me, I mean this alliance was all but set up to have me in it, first they kick the weakling from One to the curb and his partner follows him out of some sort of misguided honor, second the leader of the alliance wants his allies to be more action oriented as opposed to sitting around and learning useless survival skills. It's almost like he's trying to tailor the alliance to my strengths in hopes that I'll offer them my services, it's perfect. All I have to do now is show them just how useful and ally I can be, I just hope I don't embarrass myself in the process.

"If the four of you don't mind an outside opinion I think I might be able to help."

The four of them turn towards me as I carefully make my way towards them while the trainer throws his arms up and stops off in defeat. The boy from Four has a coy smile on his face as his eyes dart between his allies before he finally steps forward and inclines his head in a show of what I'm pretty sure is mock appreciation.

"Well why don't you enlighten us my friend? I'm sure we're all dying to hear what powerful insight you must have on the subject. After all District Six is known for its sturdy buildings and it's master carpenter tributes."

I can feel the surge of color rushing to my cheeks as I attempt to back away but the girl from Two steps around the side of the boy from Four and holds up her hand for me to stop before turning towards him and laying into him with a rather antagonized tone.

"If you don't want to listen to him just say so and let that be the end of it, there's absolutely no reason to be an ass about it, though."

"You never let me have any fun Antonia."

"Because your idea of fun is only fun for you. Now do you want to hear what he has to say or not?"

"Fine I guess it wouldn't hurt to hear him out. So go ahead and wow us with your observation….What ever your name is."

"My name is Aldrin and I just wanted to give you….."

"We don't care what you were hoping to do for us Alan, all we care about is what you can help us with."

"It's still Aldrin."

"Whatever….."

Man, this guy is a bigger ass than I am, I'm not sure then two of us are going to be able to work together without annoying the hell out of everyone else or tearing each others throats out in anger. Then again I still have to wow my way into the alliance for that to be a problem so I don't have to worry about that, not yet at least.

"Well back in Six I learned how to construct field coverings for vehicles that broke down away from the garages. We used a modified version of the lean-to that didn't rely on the presence of tall walls or the like to cover ourselves while we worked. If you'd like I can show you the basic setup in just a few minutes."

"I'm going to stop you right there Albert. I don't think we really need help with this kind of stuff, especially not from someone like you."

"What do you mean someone like me?"

"Man you outer district kids really are dumb aren't you? I mean you're not likely to survive very long in the arena and I highly doubt anything you have to teach us would be useful."

"I could beat your smug face in, would that be 'useful' enough for you."

"Watch yourself, you're dangerously close to backing yourself into a rather nasty corner kid."

"I'm not backing down."

He leans back and has a quiet conversation with his district partner and the boy from Two while the girl alternates her gaze between him and me with a look of pure amusement on her face. Obviously, he's going out of his way to avoid speaking loud enough for me to hear but by the look of disgust on his district partners face I can tell she's not exactly keen on doing whatever it is he's so sure is a worth doing.

"Ok then how about a little wager? Since we're not allowed to fight until we get to the arena we'll have to settle for letting the holos' take the beating. You pick the weapon and difficulty and whoever scores the highest in two minutes wins. If it's you we'll consider letting you into our alliance which is what I'm guessing your whole offer to help and this tough guy act is aimed at."

"What if I lose?"

"When you lose I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm pretty sure forcing you to live with the shame of not being able to back up your big mouth for the rest of your life will be compensation enough. So do we have a deal?"

"Deal…."

* * *

 **Lachlan Melbourne-13(D4M)**

I can't believe that little twerp beat me, after how high I ran up the score on him he still managed to eek out a three point win with a ridiculously lucky throw right at the end. Maybe it's my fault for letting him pick the weapon instead of making him use one that I'm good with. Yet even with the disadvantage of having to use a knife instead of a spear or sword he still only beat me with a miracle at the end, I guess I should take that as a small moral victory.

"So now that Lachlan has been thoroughly shown his place where does everyone come down on the whole Aldrin joining the careers thing?"

I should have known Antonia wouldn't let that slide, not that I didn't fully intend to keep my word and give him joining us due consideration. I was just hoping to have more time to work on convincing Alex and Iona to vote no with me. I mean we don't need a smart mouth punk like Aldrin in our alliance, the fact that he managed to best me in one silly little competition doesn't mean he's qualified to join such a prestigious alliance anyway.

"I think we should do it and get it out of the way before lunch. Antonia and I didn't get a chance to eat yesterday because we of how long it took us to decide what to do with District One."

"That's your fault Iona, Alex and I had plenty of time to eat and I spent at least half the time trying to explain our decision to and recruit Audrie."

"Regardless I think this is something we should settle quickly, it's not like this should be all that hard a call to make anyway."

"I agree so unless you boys have any objections I say we take care of this now. So Alex what do you think?"

"Well he was pretty impressive with the knives, and he seems to know a lot more about shelter building and survival skills than any of us seem to."

"Good point, Iona?"

"Well he's certainly confident and not afraid to back up what he says. I know those were two of the sticking points when it came to including Topaz in the alliance so we wouldn't have to worry about him embarrassing the alliance or anything like that."

"Appearance can be just as important as talent, and seeing as how he has both it's definitely a good combination. Ok Lachlan what do you think."

Ok, I just have to make a strong case without making it look personal, how hard can it be to convince these guys that I'm right? Odds are I won't have much trouble with Alex as I'm pretty sure he'll vote my way if I make it clear that I think we have to keep the alliance at a controllable number like four, being the weakest among us he's like to understand that's a direct threat to his place in the alliance. I know for a fact I'm not going to sell Antonia on my side but I think I might be able to play Iona with the potential threat of dissolving the alliance altogether. For whatever reason she seems to be intent on keeping me relatively happy so I should be able to sell her on the no vote.

"Lachlan do you have something to contribute or not?"

Magic time…..

"I don't think he's worth the trouble to be honest."

"Of course you don't, care to explain why?"

"Well for starters all we know about him is he talks a big game and knows how to handle a knife with some confidence, but what else does he bring to the table? Realistically it seems like he needs us more than we need him and while he might have more talent than some people currently in the alliance I'm still not sold on expansion as being a good bet. Last year the alliance let the boy from Six in and he drove a massive wedge between everyone, do we really want to risk that kind of confrontation happened to us too? I think overall we're better at keeping the alliance at four, and those four should be people we know we can work with and trust and that's the four of us. We don't need Aldrin mucking up the good thing we have going here."

"Ok that's Lachlan's opinion, anyone else have anything to add before we vote?"

Antonia looks around the circle and when no one steps forward or speaks up she shrugs her shoulders and makes her way over to a nearby table where Aldrin sits patiently waiting to hear the results of our discussion.

"Ok just Aldrin is clear on the rules this vote is a yes or no vote. Each of us will cast a vote and if the decision has a majority it stands either way. If we tie can we agree to let him train with us for the rest of the day and revisit the issue tomorrow?"

Alex and Iona nod in agreement and I'm forced to do the same least I look like I'm making this personal, I mean it is but i don't want it to look obvious that it is. I have to keep up the image of fairness for this little twerp so after we kick him to the curb he can't try and use this to kick me out of my alliance or steal away my allies, I've worked too hard to let that happen.

"Ok I'll vote first and I vote yes….Lachlan?"

"No."

"That's one yes and one no, Alex?"

"I guess….I vote no too."

Got him, one down one to go. I just hope Iona really is as easy to play as she seems to be so far.

"Ok that's two no and one yes, Iona you're the deciding vote. Yes or no?"

Come on Iona make me proud, prove you're just as easy to manipulate as Alex is and drive home the point that this is Lachlan's career alliance. Send this wannabe career home with his tail between his legs and a bruise on his ego to match the one he laid on me in the simulator.

"Everyone made excellent points about why he'd be a good addition, and Lachlan made some good ones about why we should be cautious. In the end the games are dangerous enough with enough unknowns that we'd be foolish to add more ourselves. I'm sorry Aldrin but I have vote with Lachlan and Alex, I vote no."

YES! HE IS OUTTA HERE! So long Aldrin, I'd like to say I'll miss you but I'd hate to be made a liar over something like that. Man it's a wonderful feeling to know just how impactful and powerful I am when it comes to my allies, I can't wait to see just how far I can push this in the arena.

"Ok, that's three no and one yes. I'm sorry Aldrin but the votes just weren't there, good luck finding other allies and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Well thanks for giving me a shot and for not letting me twist in the wind on the decision."

He shakes everyone hand in turn but when he delivers mine I can almost feel the cold rage in his eyes as he glares through me and up at the scoreboard from our competition that still flashes with our scores. As he spins around and leaves I can almost feel the seething rage seeping out of him and saturating the air around us, add in the disgusted look on Antonia's face and you could almost cut the tension with a knife, but in the end it doesn't really matter. Aldrin didn't get in and Antonia can be as mad at me as she wants because we both know she's not going anywhere, the only alliance close to as good as ours is a non-starter for her because of Topaz so regardless of how she feels she's stuck with us. At least until her usefulness runs out, and if I have anything to say about it her's will be the first to run out. After all what's the point of keeping the biggest threat to my inevitable victory this close if I don't take her out of the game before she ever has a fighting chance to become said threat?

* * *

 **A/N: Well here we have the first part of Training Day 2 and I decided to take a little peek at how the career mentors are dealing with the change to their tributes before diving into the nitty gritty of training. I hope everyone is ok with that :)**

 **So like before I'm not going to ask questions until we cover the second part but I am curious as to which mentors you'd like to see get a POV at the end of the next chapter so I'll be putting a poll up n my profile so you guys can vote on it :)**

 **Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you around Wednesday or Thursday for the next update :D**


	12. Taking Chances(Training Day 2 Part 2)

**Kaelia Blitzen-12(D6F)**

This is starting to get a little annoying, sure I made a mistake trying to run away during the reaping but I find it a little on the excessive side that this peacekeeper has to be with me all the time. It's not like I wasn't going to have enough trouble attracting allies anyway but with her constant presence just a few feet away I might as well already be dead. It's not like her constant presence hasn't attracted the everyone's attention, which for the most part that means anyone who might have been interested in an alliance with me has avoided me like the plague it's also managed to attract the attention of the one group I'd rather avoid being tangled up with, the careers or, at least, the boy from Four who seems to have made it his mission to needle me about my escort at every turn.

"Do you really have to be here? It's not like I'm going anywhere once they secure the room."

This isn't the first time I've attempted to engage my guard and for the most part, she's simply ignored my probing but something about this question seems to have upset her because no sooner have I finished asking it then she's leaning in and snarling at me in a way that makes her normally pleasant face and beautiful eyes contort in an extremely terrifying manner.

"Listen here you little shit I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here, I mean do you honestly think I enlisted with the peacekeepers to babysit a little snot-nosed shit who's about to get massacred?"

"I….I'm not about to get massacred. I have just as good a chance as anyone else does."

"If you honestly believe that then you're as delusional now as you were when you tried to run, but that's not really the point. The fact is I was ordered to babysit you and those orders were extremely clear that I'm not to allow you more than twenty feet away from me unless the obstacle you're running or the training you're participating in demands it. So maybe you could do us both a favor and spend the rest of your training time climbing or something like that so we won't have to look at each other."

I try to think of something witty to respond to that with but the bell signaling the end of lunch rings before I get the chance and before I can blink she's back to her feet and slipping her helmet on and my response dies on my lips. Forcing myself not to cry at her crushing statement and at the fact that I seem to be completely incapable of even convincing another tribute to consider me as an ally I quickly dump the uneaten remnants of my meal in the trash and make a beeline for the rock wall on the far side of the training center, my escort falling in line a few steps behind me.

It only takes me a few seconds to traverse the breadth of the center as the vast majority of the other tributes are still making their way out of the break area which suits me just fine, I'd rather get started on this station before I have to endure the whispers of my fellow tributes about how foolish or stupid I have to be to have warranted my own personal peacekeeper.

"Hello young lady, I assume you're here to work on your climbing skills?"

"Yes, if that's ok."

"It's more then ok my dear it's wonderful. I don't get many tributes through my station, most of them figure they can build the muscles and the like up through the obstacle course but they don't get as many target results that way. No the only proper way to train yourself to climb is to do it, and the best place to do that is here on my wall."

"Well then this is the place for me, you never know when good climbing skills might come in handy in the arena."

"That's the spirit, will your companion be joining you or will you be going alone?"

He points in the general direction of my escort who offers him a simple shake of her head before moving off into the shadows on the side of the wall where she quickly disappears amongst the shadows.

"Well I guess that settles that, now which difficulty level did you want to start with?"

"Umm, I guess maybe the easiest one?"

"Do you have any climbing experience or…?"

"Not particularly, I mean I did ok with the climbing in the obstacle course yesterday but I don't necessarily think that would recommend me for a very challenging difficulty."

"Well as long as you have a basic understanding of how to find your footing and things like that then you should be ok to skip up to the intermediate side of the wall. You do understand the basics right?"

"Kind of, I mean I know you're not supposed to put your weight on something that can't support you and you want to make sure one foot is stable before you try to move the other."

"That's the gist of it, also, remember to always maintain three points of contact with whatever you're climbing."

"Three points of contact?"

"He means don't move a hand and a foot at the same time."

The voice startles me as this is the first time in almost two days that someone has dared to speak in my presence and when I turn around to see who it is I'm shocked to find the girl from Seven staring back at us in an almost dream like trance.

"That's exactly what I was trying to say, thank you Sequoia. When you're climbing you never want to move your foot and hand at the same time because if your foot misses its new hold, the hold can't support your weight, or your hand does the same thing you're more likely to fall with only two points of contact."

"I guess that makes sense. Sequoia is it?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind going up with me the first time? I'm a little nervous and could probably make good use of your pointers as I go."

I stand there with bated breath while she continues to stare at me in her almost dream-like state and I'm afraid I may have misread the situation. I mean she's the first person who's talked to or around me without being prompted in almost two days so I guess I have to take a chance if I want any chance of finding an ally. Then again if she was just trying to feel me out a little and I jumped the gun I may have just destroyed the one chance I have of finding anyone in this godforsaken city willing to overlook my white-clad observer and take a filler on me.

"I don't see a problem with that, provided the instructor doesn't mind me shoe-horning in on his territory."

"Are you kidding? Sequoia you know more about climbing than I've learned in twenty-six years instructing tributes in its forum. If you're willing to help I'd say this young lady would benefit immensely."

"Well, then I guess I'm on board to help, but I'll need to know what to call you."

"Kaelia, my name is Kaelia."

"Well, Kaelia I guess we'd better get harnessed up and get started."

The instructor shows the two of us over to the rigging station where he quickly pulls out two of the smallest harness on the rack and passes them to us. Sequoia gets hers on with no problem but I end up needing a little help and put it on or buckle it up wrong more times than I care to count but the Sequoia and the trainer simply laugh at my mistakes so I don't feel quite as bad as I normally would.

"Ok, now that we've got you two rigged up I'll rotate the wall to give you both the same intermediate setup. This should make it easier for you to instruct her as you go Sequoia."

He pushes a few buttons and the wall spins around for a few seconds until it comes to a stop with two identical panels facing towards us. As the two of us fasten the hanging rope lines to our harnesses I can't help but worry about what I'm about to try to do. After my actions in the reaping, I may well be singled out as a target by anyone looking to score some easy points with the Capitol crowd and anyone I convince to ally with me might be in the same boat. Then again I know I can't survive alone and this might be my only chance to find someone who's willing to overlook my situation and give me a chance. I just hope the reward ends up being worth the risk I'm going to be asking her to take.

* * *

 **Sequoia Sable-12(D7F)**

I never feel more in control and free then I do when I'm climbing like this and the only thing that ever seems to come close is when I'm carving or whittling, but given my current situation, this is about as good as it gets. I mean what could be more liberating than scaling something that's not supposed to be scaled? How is anything in the world supposed to compare to the peace and quiet one can only truly experience from the top of the world? Sure this is different because I have to stop every few feet and coach Kaelia through what to do and where to or not to place her weight but she's doing fairly well for a beginner so it's not that big an inconvenience.

"Ok now this next step is going to be a little harder than what we've done so far, and with your height working against you too it's going to be a little more challenging for you to learn but if you listen closely I know you'll get it."

"O…Ok I guess. What do I need to do?"

"So the next area you need to ascend doesn't have holds on the right side so you're going to need to balance exclusively on your left side. Now to do this grab the green hold right above the two thin yellow ones with your left hand."

I watch with mild apprehension as she extends her short arm towards the point I instructed only to fall nearly two inches short. It takes all my self-control not to shout as she teeters about with her left arm flailing in panic, but with a little luck, she manages to regain her balance and grab her previous hold before her movements throw her off the wall completely.

"I….I don't know if I can do this. What if….What if I fall?"

"You're not going to fall; you need to trust me on that."

"I almost fell right there; how can you be sure it won't happen again?"

"I'm not, but I do know that if you stop now all the work you've done will have been for nothing. Now, this time, move your left foot up to the green hold above the one it's currently on before you reach up for the next one."

She hesitates for maybe half a second before nodding and moving her foot up and then quickly reaching out and grabbing ahold of the lime green colored hold with a surprised gasp.

"I…I did it!"

"Good job, now move your right foot to the blue hold your left foot was just on. Once you do that move your right hand to the red hold to the right of the one your left hand is on."

"Which one?"

"The red one kitty-corner from the one you have your left hand on."

I watch as her eyes dart back and forth for a few seconds before she finally zeros in on her target. It takes her a second to get her footing right and a few more to gather the courage to swing her arm up but she manages to make it without falling off and I allow myself to smile at her accomplishment even as she breathes a massive sigh of relief.

"You handled the hard part pretty well for a novice climber, now you need to clear that area so you can get back to a more evenly footed plane. Remember to go slow and think about how moving to one area could affect your balance and ability to place your other foot or hand."

Her eyes widen to three times their original size and for a second the only sign of movement out of her is the soft but rhythmic shaking of her arms as she attempts to muster the courage to continue moving. This time, I keep myself quiet rather than offer words of encouragement, eventually, she's going to need to find it within herself to overcome her fears and this is a much better time to learn how to do it then when she's faced with the same problem in the arena.

It takes her longer than it really should and she nearly loses her footing a dozen or so times and her hand grip double that but eventually through the sheer power of her belief in herself she manages to cross the area and continually inch her way towards the top.

"I….I don't know if I can keep going. My arms are starting to tingle."

"Well, then you don't have to worry."

"WH…Why not?"

I extend my finger and point towards the ceiling and for the first time since we started Kaelia actually looks past the wall and the immediately present holds and realizes just how far she's gone.

"I….I didn't know I was so close."

"That tends to happen when you're focusing on not falling, but that's not really all that important. What's important is that you only have to climb another ten feet and you'll have made it to the top, I know how much making it means to you so get it done and ring the bell. Let everyone know what you accomplished."

She stares up at me but it's not the same timid or unsure stare as before, this time, there's a fire behind her steady gaze that practically screams confidence. I offer her a reassuring smile and a nod as she lowers her head and slowly but surely closes the last few feet between her and the top of the wall. By the time she reaches the top I've already hoisted myself up and taken a seat on the top so I extend my hand and help her do the same as the both of us exhale a breath I don't think we realized we were holding in.

"Congratulations Kaelia, you've just conquered the wall, how do you feel about that?"

"I….I feel amazing. Thank you so much for helping me do this, I don't think I could have done it without you."

"You're selling yourself short, you did all the work I just pointed you in the right direction and offered a few tips."

"Tips that kept my head on straight and stopped me from falling, but thank you for your kind praise. I haven't heard a lot of that since the reaping so it's a nice change."

"I remember watching your reaping on the train ride here, you were the one who tried to run away right?"

"I guess everyone has heard about that huh?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone's heard about it at the very least, it was kind of a big deal with a lot of the Capitol citizens they interviewed afterward."

"This is worse than I though. How am I supposed to recover from this?"

"It may not be all that bad honestly. At the very least everyone in the Capitol knows who you are and that could come in handy if you make it a little ways into the games."

"I suppose you're right, but it's still not ideal. Honestly, I'm not sure what I was thinking but at that particular moment running seemed like a really solid plan. It was only after the fact when I had a chance to think about it and my parents weighed in that I realized how stupid it was. That's what my dad thinks anyway."

"Don't let this get you down, you're capable and with the right attitude and a few good allies, you'll go far."

"It's funny you should mention allies because I have a slightly awkward question on that very subject."

I knew this was coming and honestly, I'm surprised she was able to put off asking me this long. I mean I was pretty obvious she planned to ask from the moment I inserted myself into her conversation with the trainer, her body language practically screamed 'ally with me' from that moment on.

"I'm pretty sure I know what your question is."

"If not, it shouldn't be too hard to guess what it is."

The two of us sit in awkward silence for nearly a minute as I try and process everything in my mind and she waits with bated breath for my decision. The biggest problem is that I don't have any reason to tell her, no, but I still need to check with Fern and Jamie, it's their alliance too. Then again Jamie's made it a point to try and recruit anyone who'll give him a chance to ask and Fern hasn't seemed all that interested in anything really.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I mean why would anyone want to ally with the idiot girl that tried to run away from the reaping? You're probably better off without me as an ally."

"There's no reason to talk like that to your ally Kaelia."

"I understand I just thought maybe since you were willing to help me you mi….Wait really?"

"Of course, Jamie, Fern, and I would be happy to have you join our group."

"Even if that means my little white-clad friend has to tag along tomorrow?"

"Even if she has to come into the arena with us."

I offer her a welcoming smile as her eyes fill with tears and before I know what's happening her arms are wrapped around me and she's pulling me into the tightest hug I've ever experienced. After she pulls back and wipes the tears from her eyes I motion for her to follow me as I show her the proper technique to repel down the wall to ground level. She catches on pretty quick and smiles the whole way down as if joining our alliance has driven the clouds from her life and bathed he in the warmth of the sun for the first time in days. I just hope Fern and Jamie are as accepting of her as I think they'll be.

* * *

 **Moriah Trace-12(D11M)**

This is the first time since my dad died that I've felt like I'm not in total control of my surroundings and the fact that everyone seems to be at least partially immune to my influence hasn't helped matters. I mean I'm used to occasionally not getting my way but the number of times I've been thwarted since I got to the Capitol has been astronomical. Even my district partner has been a source of annoyance but that might be because her personality is so maddeningly confusing to me, I mean how in the world am I supposed to get a good read on someone who one second is so trusting and caring to be so nonchalant about watching an ally die the next?

Regardless I can't keep dwelling on any of this, it's not like worrying about the massive internal conflict Iliana has to be having over how she's acting can be anything but beneficial to me moving forward, after all It's not like we're allies or anything. Sure she made the offer almost as soon as we boarded the train but after looking at everything it just seemed premature for me to hitch myself to an ally without looking at all the possibilities, how was I supposed to know that almost everyone I tried to latch on with would be so opposed to my inclusion?

"Forget them Moriah, forget all of them. You don't need any of them to help you win the games, if anything they should all be begging you to join your expertise and skill to their push to win the games."

At least I think that's how I should feel, again I've really never had to adapt to or accept this kind of rejection before. My only real experience with rejection is when my little sisters don't get their way and this is how they seem to react to it so I guess this is how I'm supposed to feel about it, as long as no one's looking that is.

"You need to focus man, get your mind off this garbage before the anger and frustration swallow you whole."

Oh I know a million and one things that could take my mind off this stuff, but with less than an hour left in training I'm not all that sure it would be worth my time to try to start working with a weapon and the plant station is absolutely crawling with people who can't tell the difference between a tree and a bush little loan whether a plant is poisonous or not. I guess I could spend some time at one of the animal stations, it might come in handy to know how to handle animals a bit bigger than my dogs back home.

"Well it looks like you've made a decision, so let's get over there and learn what we can in the time we have left."

I quickly make my way over to the station where a rather large man with a ridiculously droopy beard sits with his eyes half closed staring at the picture of what looks like some sort of monstrously oversized cat. For nearly a minute I just stand there and stare at him while he continues to oblivious stare at the animal as if it were the only thing with him in the world until my patience finally runs out and I gently but deliberately knock a pile of books off the table with my elbow.

For a second I'm not sure he even heard the thud that seems to have attracted the attention of a couple of tributes from the nearby knot tying station but after nearly a minute after my action he finally turns his gaze towards me and shakes his head in a sign of disapproval.

"If you're as impatient with animals as you are with people you're going to have a very hard time interacting with them in the arena."

"I...I beg your pardon?"

"Animals aren't always going to be as receptive to you as people are, and if you're hunting or being hunted by an animal the last thing you want to do is make an obscene amount of noise. Interaction with animals takes time, patience, and understanding and two of those skills are clearly underdeveloped in you."

"You don't even know a thing about me and you're already passing judgment on my patience and understanding?"

"Well the fact that you picked out which two of the three you're lacking doesn't exactly make me reconsider my position young man."

"You know nothing about me old man, I've spent my entire life around animals. You must feel pretty stupid now after going off and assuming I had no experience with them."

"Quite the contrary, your revelation combined with this little outburst only reinforces my belief that you lack the patience to handle yourself around true animals."

"Weren't you listening a couple of seconds ago? I just told you I've spent my whole life around real animals!"

"Domesticated animals and true animals are very different things young one. A domesticated animal has had its more wild and unpredictable tendencies breed out but a true animal has no such limitations. The way you act around animals that are used to human presence and your presence in particular is a poor measuring stick for how to handle animals in an untamed environment like the arena. In there you're at their mercy not the other way around and if you treat them like a dog or react to their temperaments like you did with me they'll tear you apart."

"Whatever old man, I'm guessing your personality is a major reason why no one ever spends time at this shitty station. Or maybe it's the fact that it's a completely useless station anyway. I like to think it's a little of both."

"Ignore my warnings all you want but in the end it's you that has to face the fires of your ignorance, and it's you who'll be burned by it."

I can't take another second of this clown and luckily the bell signaling the end of our second training day rings out before I'm forced to tear another hole in his shaky theory that I'm inept at dealing with animals. Instead I simply offer him as polite a nod as I can muster without losing my cool and spin around and migrate into the migrating mass of tributes making their way towards the training room doors and the lifts beyond.

Part of me is absolutely livid at that old man, but a part of me wonders if I handled his criticism in the most effective way. It's not like it really matters now but in the heat of the moment I might have let my emotions get the better of me when I should have shown restraint, but at this point it's too late for me to backtrack and make amends. I just hope this decision and every other one I've made in the heat of the moment doesn't come back to haunt me later, after all I did blow off Iliana's offer of an alliance in the heat of the moment and that's not exactly looking like the best decision at the moment, but only time will tell.

* * *

 **Joyce Davidson(District 4 Mantor)**

After two days of training about the only thing, I'm completely sure of is that Iona seems to extremely passive aggressive when it comes to Lachlan. I mean I get not liking your district partner and it's not like Mikelis and I were exactly the poster children for cooperation two years ago but we still managed to keep up the appearance of a united front. It's not necessarily a bad thing that they're not overly fond of one another as it should make it that much easier for one of them to take the other down should they need to, but judging by Iona's body language she might be planning that earlier than might be prudent for her.

Dinner tonight has been the tensest meal yet and the only one who doesn't seem to notice it or at the very least doesn't seem to care is Lachlan, hell even Inala and the stylists are picking up on it and they're easily the most oblivious people I know. After watching Iona glare daggers at Lachlan across the table for the better part of a half-hour I can't take it anymore, I'm going to have to talk to her about whatever it is that's going on between them. However I do have to do it in a way that doesn't tip Lachlan off to just how bad this situation really is, the last thing I want to do is turn my tributes against each other before they even get into the arena.

"Allure do you want to take Lachlan into the sitting room and work on his interview prep or would you rather do it here?"

I do my best to sound as nonchalant about this as I can but I can tell by the way her eyebrow almost rises off her head that she's confused as to why I'm doing this now. Luckily she's gotten better at reading me over the last two years and all it takes is my eyes darting towards Iona and back a few time for her to get the message and make a decision.

"Neither actually, I think we'll do it on the balcony with how nice a night it is. Lachlan take the rest of your food outside and I'll join you shortly."

The look on his face isn't exactly a happy one but for the first time since he boarded the train he doesn't complain or resist. He does throw what I'd call a tantrum but it's mild enough that I'm not sure anyone who doesn't know him would think anything of it, and by the time he crosses the room and slips out the door Allure is on her feet and standing next to me pretending to whisper something in my ear as the door slides shut behind him.

"Are you sure you want me to leave?"

"I can handle this dear, don't worry about me."

She leans in and pecks me on the cheek but lingers just long enough to actually whisper something in my ear.

"It's not you I'm concerned about. Tread lightly with Iona on this. I'm just as curious as you are but the last thing you want to do is make whatever this is a bigger issue than it needs to be."

With that, she offers me another quick kiss before saying goodbye to Iona and the others and slipping out the door after Lachlan. A few awkward seconds of silence follow until Inala finally picks up on what's going on and invites the stylists down to the bar for a night-cap. After a few more uncomfortable minutes of them gathering everything they think they'll need for a thirty-second elevator ride and then waiting for the lift they finally pile in and zip away without another word.

"Ok, Iona what the hell's going on?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"You've been staring daggers at Lachlan all night and everyone but him noticed, so something is obviously wrong."

"It's nothing….Nothing I can't handle by myself."

"Iona I'm your mentor and if you tell me what's wrong I can help you, but if you keep secrets from me then both our jobs get a whole lot harder."

"It's just….Lachlan did something so….So stupid today and I just can't get over it."

"What did he do?"

"Well, first he spent the better part of the morning picking on the girl with the peacekeeper following her around. He even made it a point to discuss taking her out painfully as a way to gain support from sponsors."

"Now I'm not saying I necessarily condone drawing her death out but he does have a valid point as much as I hate to admit it."

"I'm not saying it isn't valid but the way he went about it was tactless. He made a big show of taunting her and when he was talking about killing her he did it loud enough that half the tributes in the center heard him do it. It's like he was trying to show off his grand strategy in front of everybody."

"Ok, well we both already knew that Lachlan is a talker and while I agree that this may have been in poor taste I'm not sure it warrants such a negative reaction on your part."

"That's just the first part. Later the boy from Six offered to help us with shelter building and Lachlan made a big show of trying to make him look stupid, that's nothing new. However when the boy didn't back down Lachlan challenged him to a knife exercise with the stipulation that if he won we'd consider letting him into the alliance."

"And Lachlan embarrassed him or something?"

"No he actually lost and I got the distinct impression that if Aldrin had wanted to he could have blown him out of the water. As a matter of fact, I'm almost positive he held back to increase his chances of getting into the alliance. The problem is Lachlan went out of his way to make it clear he didn't want him in, despite his obvious skill and the fact that he could be a tremendous help. Well once he voted no and exerted enough pressure on Alex to get him to vote no I did the same to avoid a confrontation of the training room floor."

"So you're mad at Lachlan because you backed down to preserve the peace instead of fighting him on this?"

"That's part of it but there's still just a tiny bit more, but I'm not sure you're going to like it."

"In that case, I'm sure I need to hear it so go ahead."

"Well after everything was said and done we had lunch then Alex and I went and worked on first aid while Lachlan and Antonia worked on combat. Well about an hour or so later Antonia comes over and pulls the two of us aside and tells us she's not happy with the way Lachlan's acting or how he's leading. She proposed the three of us invite Aldrin into the alliance behind Lachlan's back and try to take Lachlan out in the bloodbath."

I can't believe I'm hearing this. I mean I'd expect it in a normal year but I never imaged tributes this young could be so….Cunning.

"What did you decide to do?"

"We decided to do it, and after a little convincing that it wasn't a trap we managed to get Aldrin on board too."

"I'm starting to put all of this together."

"I know you're probably upset but I just can't work with Lachlan, and Antonia was pretty close to going it alone anyway so this worked out best for the two of us."

"I'm not mad, I'm a little surprised but in the end you have to do things your way to win and it doesn't matter if I like it. I betrayed my alliance in the bloodbath too and it worked out well for me so if this is what you and the others think you need to do then I'll support you. The trick is not tipping your hand before you play it."

"Ok, what would you suggest?"

"First off you have to pretend to like Lachlan or at least get back to where you were when you were real allies. Second you or Antonia need to be with Alex at all times tomorrow. If he's really as desperate to be accepted and liked as you say he is then he's likely to spill everything to Lachlan if he's left alone with him. Third the three of you need to avoid Aldrin like the plague so Lachlan doesn't have a reason to get suspicious of him or any of you."

"Sounds simple enough. Anything else?"

"Nothing for right now, just bury your feelings until it's time to act and hope everything turns out the way you're planning. That's really the only option you have when you take a chance like this."

* * *

 **A/N: Well that's a wrap on Training day 2 and we're only about 8 chapter away from the start of the games and I can't wait for all of you to see the arena(figuratively speaking of course) as I'm pretty proud of what I came up with.**

 **Anyway back to the here and now and as you can see we've got quite the intriguing plot developing between our career alliance. I wonder how it will play out? :)**

 **1\. Do you think the careers are better off with Lachlan or Aldrin?**

 **2\. What do you think of the Sequoia, Fern, Jamie, and Kaleia alliance?**

 **3\. Which alliance is your favorite overall?**

 **So I hope to have the first part of Day 3 up this weekend but that's all dependent on whether I can force myself to take my Political Science test in a timely manner or if I decide to keep putting it off like I have so far. If that's the case then the next update will be out by Wednesday of next week but I hope to have it up sooner. Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I'll see you all at the next update :D**

 **Current Alliance List**

 **Careers:**

D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13

D2M- Alex Trake-13

D4F- Iona Harrowell-13

D6M- Aldrin Derino-13

 **Aces and Eights**

D1M- Topaz Kayden-12

D1F- Audrie Christison-13

D8F- Connor McCormick-13

D8M- Archie Razida-13

 **District 12's**

D12F- Brooke Kolstad-13

D12M- Brenton Aldair-13

 **Bulls and Bombs**

D3F- Quanta Bomm-13

D5M- Luell Berring-13

D10M- Dargo Avene-12

 **Peace and Happiness**

D7F-Sequoia Sable-12

D9M- Jamie Dexton-12

D10F- Fern Shelton-13

D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12

 **Solo(For Now)**

D3M- Bryn Snowdon-12

D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13

D9F- Alden Devaire-13

D11M- Moriah Trace-12

D7M- Aster Elmore-13

D11F- Iliana Alder-13

 **Unknowingly Solo Tribute**

D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13


	13. Sink or Swim(Training Day 3 Part 1)

**Zefram Cartwright(District 6 Mentor)**

I'll be glad when all this is over, it's hard enough to mentor by myself as it is but it's become almost impossible with that peacekeeper leaning over my shoulder every time I try to talk to Kaelia. The fact that she seems to be immune to caring that her constant presence is hampering this poor girl chances of survival and that my constant reassurance that she's not going to run away from one of the most heavily fortified buildings in Panem have fallen on deaf ears. Yet despite all that she's managed to find herself three allies, not that I'd put much stock in any of them going very far in the games but at least she has them.

"Ok so this is your last day of training with the trainers and tomorrow you'll have your individual sessions, so take today to fine tune your best skills. At this point, it's a waste to try to learn something new as you're only going to have today to work on it. Trying to learn too much in too short a time has been the undoing of many a great tribute."

I turn my gaze towards Aldrin who so far has been the more willing of my tributes to challenge me so far but to my surprise, he simply offers me a slight nod and returns to his eggs. However, my appreciation of his restraint is quickly shattered as for the first time since I met her on the train Kaelia pipes in with a surprisingly defiant take on today.

"Is it really a good idea to waste today's training on things we already know?"

"You're not really wasting your time so much as making sure you have a firm grasp on what you've already learned."

"That still sounds an awful lot like wasting time to me. I mean wouldn't it be better to maybe focus on one new thing for the whole day rather than splitting time between the few I already understand?"

"Honestly if you've spent the last two days mastering a few stations then you've already wasted your time. The purpose of the first day of training is to identify your strengths and weaknesses and start shoring the weaknesses up. Day two should be spent refining those true weaknesses into the bare minimum of competency while day three should be focused on tightening everything up for your individual sessions. At this stage, it's very risky to try to throw something new into the mix as you risk losing a step on something you genuinely know."

"I understand what you're saying but when we got here you told us to try to be well rounded, but now you're telling us to do the opposite. I'm just a little confused as to what exactly we should be doing."

"She's got a point, not that I enjoy agreeing with her or anything but on this issue she's right."

Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way, not that I'm overly concerned about but it might help if I try to explain the method behind my madness a little better before expecting them to execute it.

"Ok let's try this again shall we? I'm going to recommend the two of you focus solely on tightening up the skills you've already mastered but if the two of you have a different idea I'm all ears."

"Ok for starters why the sudden change in strategy? Like Kaelia said you spent the train ride and the whole first two days of training harping on being well rounded and now you're telling us to zero in on our strengths and forget the rest."

"I was suggesting you abandon everything you haven't mastered merely that you look at today as an opportunity to fine tune the skills you're going to present to the Gamemakers tomorrow. "

"Ok I get what you're saying but I'm still not sure Aldrin and I understand why that's so important."

"It's important because the last thing you want to do is embarrass yourself during your individual session. The score you get there will determine what kind of sponsors I'm able to secure in the early going, and with your less than impressive alliance and Aldrin's none existent alliance getting good scores is going to be vital."

"Hold on a second, what do you mean my nonexistent alliance?"

"Well unless you've joined one and neglected to tell me I've been operating and cultivating potential sponsors on the assumption that you don't have one."

"Suppose I did have an alliance, how would that change the dynamic?"

"It would depend on who was in the alliance and how you and they stacked up against the careers and the alliance between One and Eight. Suffice it to say your score would still be a vital part of any sponsorship you or the alliance acquires."

"Ok I think I understand, but why did you call Kaelia's alliance 'less than impressive'?"

"I'd like to know that myself?"

"Ok that may have been a poor choice of words, but compared to the two major alliances any alliance is going to look dull by comparison. It's unfortunate but the Capitol citizens want to back a winner and the easiest way to appear like one is to be in a major alliance or score high enough that they overlook a less impressive alliance or running solo."

This isn't going well but then again it never does. It's so frustrating to have to do this alone but as the only living victor who's not addicted to morphling but at times like this I can almost understand why so many of the victors from Six find themselves addicted. Hell, the only reason I managed to stay clean is the fact that I had a pregnant girlfriend with twins on the way when I came out. Then again this isn't about me or how hard I've got it, at least, I'm not a couple days away from going into the arena like Aldrin and Kaelia are. I just wish I knew a better, more easily understandable way to convey this information to them.

"I apologies for being all over the place, this year's been more difficult than normal and I make it worse by forgetting that the two of you are still young. In the decade I've been mentoring I've only had a handful of tributes under the age of fourteen and they were always paired with a much older district partner. "

The two of them exchange worried glances for a few seconds before quietly settling into a rather awkward silence that's only broken by the rhythmic ticking of the clock. As the minute tick by I start to get worried that I might have said something stupid or god forbid scared them into submission with my admission that I'm not as confident in my abilities this year as I would be normally.

"Do either of you have anything else you'd like to ask before you head down to training?"

My eyes move between the both of them as they shake their heads in near unison before quietly getting up and moving towards the elevator without saying so much as a word. I try to think of something reassuring to tell them as they wait for the lift to arrive but by the time I finally think of something that doesn't sound stupid or condescending they've already boarded the life and speed off to their last day of training so I resign myself to offering the empty space where they had been sitting the most pointlessly cliché remark can offer in this situation.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

I loathe that statement, it's every bit as condescending and heartless as everything else associated with the Games, but, at least, I'm still alive to hate it. The twenty kids I've mentored in the last decade haven't been so lucky but I'm determined as hell to make this the year that changes.

I push myself away from the table and head over to the mantle where a large book I've been brainstorming in rests next to the reading glasses I so hate to wear. Picking up the two of them I slip my glasses on and settle into the large armchair next to the fireplace and begin to skim through the volumes of notes I've collected on my tributes over the last three days. I may not have been much help in arena preparation but I know I can still make a difference in their interviews; I've always been good at preparing my tributes for their individual interviews. I just hope they're able to overcome my astoundingly bad training advice so they have a chance to benefit from the interview.

* * *

 **Brenton Aldair-13(D12M)**

Despite what it today means I can't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment at the fact that I managed to make it through training without embarrassing myself. I mean I did stick to what I know and went out of my way to avoid placing myself in a bad situation and that may have ended up costing me a chance to expand my alliance outside of the initial agreement between Brooke and me, but seeing as how most of the alliances have unfolded I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.

I mean sure Onyx went out of his way to drill it into both our minds that a bigger alliance would be beneficial this year due to the uncertain circumstances surrounding us as tributes but I just can't bring myself to want to ally with some of these people. Just off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure the boy from Nine is crazy, not a bad crazy but he's still crazy and he's been the only one to really make an effort to recruit us into a larger alliance. Brooke did manage to get a passing chance to join the careers at the beginning but the smug attitude of the boy from Four was an immediate red flag and I had to nix the idea, I just don't think I'd be able to function with someone who reminds me so much of Lambert's smug ass. I didn't get reaped and travel across Panem to end up in an alliance with a thirteen-year-old version of my least favorite person in the world though his attitude does give me a chance to exercise a little of my pent up frustration towards my older brother.

"Brenton stop fidgeting and pay attention, Tal is about to give us our starting exercise and I'm not repeating it for you like I had to yesterday."

"You make it seem like you had to explain everything to me when all I asked about was whether we stopped at the end or circled around and came back."

"Missing that little bit of information was kind of a big deal, and besides, I had to fill you in on the first day too."

"You did not."

"I did too, now be quiet he's about to start."

"Good morning tributes and welcome to your final day of training. Now as you can clearly see the training center has a slightly different look to it today, I mean we do have a giant pool in the middle of the room that I'm pretty sure wasn't here yesterday."

Everyone snickers at his lame joke and while I manage to stop myself from snorting in response I can't bring myself to laugh at such a pointlessly lame attempt at a joke.

"Ok so your compulsory exercise for today is fairly straight forward but it's still imperative that you listen and follow the instructions I'm about to give you. Today we'll be combining the endurance and agility we've worked on over the last two days in one event. You'll start off in single file with the girls on the left and the boys on the right. Now once I say go the first male and female tribute will start by climbing the rock wall in front of you and once the person in front of you gets to the top you're clear to begin climbing. Now after you summit the wall you'll dive into the pool below and swim to the far side. Now if at any time you don't think you'll be able to keep your head above water simply raise your left hand and place it on top of your head and one of the trainers will retrieve you from the pool."

Well, that's a good thing to know as I'm not all that sure I'm going to be able to swim that far. I mean I'm not a bad swimmer, at least, I don't think I am, but even so I've never had to swim so far in water I can't reach the bottom in while keeping my head above water. I'm not going to quite or anything like that but it's reassuring to know the trainers don't plan on letting me drown just because I'm not a strong swimmer.

"Once you reach the far side you'll exit the pool and sprint around the far side in the area we've roped off for you. Now the finish line is back here at the wall and you have to touch the wall to be done. This is also a gender-based competition as you'll be competing boys against girls so I'd advise each of you to try your best, I mean wants to be the reason their team loses the race? So do I have any question?"

For a moment no one makes a sound but as he moves to turn around a small shout rises up from the back of the crowd and his attention is immediately snapped back to the crowd.

"Did someone in the back have a question or were you just talking?"

"Yes, I have one!"

"Make a hole so they can get forward."

We all start to spin around in circles as no one is quite sure where the person asking the question is hiding but after a minute of confusion we manage to find her and a hole to the front is quickly made for the little girl from Eleven to make her way through.

"Earlier you said if we can't make the swim to just place out hand on our head and someone would pull us out of the water right?"

"That's correct."

"What happens if we have to get pulled out? How would failing the event affect us and our team overall?"

"That's a good question and the simple answer is it won't unless it happens more than once. For scoring purposes, we'll drop the fastest and slowest times from the card and take the average of the other ten. So if one female or one male tribute doesn't finish their score won't affect the rest. If more than one fails however we're going to take the slowest time and add three minutes to it. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes it does, thank you."

You're welcome. Now that with that being said no one try to play the hero and refuse to ask for help if you need it, the last thing any of you wants to do is injure yourselves trying to complete this and go into the arena with a fresh injury. Now are there any other questions?"

Once again he scans the breadth of the room without so much as a whimper but this time when he turns around no one speaks up so he simply motions to the associates standing to his left and right to begin the exercise.

Once we're all separated and in line it only takes a couple of seconds for the event to start and we make it through the first four districts with relative ease before the boy from Five hits a snag and has to be snatched from the pool by one of the trainers. Part of me is pissed that he failed but another part of me is scared that he's snatched away the security of my potential failure not counting against the other boys as we try to best the girls in this little game. Luckily no one else struggles until we hit District Eleven and, this time, it's the girl who has to be plucked from the water while thrashing about in a futile effort to stay above water.

Somehow I manage to cross the pool and finish the event despite my legs feeling like jello and my head pounding from the force of the impact it took when I tried to dive into the water, the fact that all I came away with was a bloody nose was sheer luck.

"Good job everyone I was thoroughly impressed with each of your performances. Now we've taken the liberty of having a change of clothes brought down from your suites for each of you to change into. The rooms are through their, boys on the left and girls on the right. Go ahead and change while we convert the center back to its normal state and tabulate the scores, we'll have both ready for you when you come back out."

I breathe a small sigh of relief at the fact that I won't have to spend the rest of the day in soggy cloths and despite my exhaustion I'm the first one into the changing room as I manage to dry off and change before the last straggler, the boy from Five even manages to get into the room.

As everyone else goes about their business of drying off and changing I settle in and try to relax as I wait for Tal or one of the other trainers to tell us the center is ready to go. As I slip into as relaxed a state as I can manage given my circumstances I can't help but marvel at just how far I've come in the last week. I may still be the runt of my family but I can almost guarantee that by the time everything is said and done I'm going to show up Lambert and make my parents proud, even if it kills me.

I just wish I could see the look on his smug face when he sees how good I'm doing, so much for his 'you'll be the first to die' prediction. I can't wait to show that asshole up.

* * *

 **Iliana Alder-13(D11F)**

I don't think I've ever been this embarrassed in my entire life, I mean I knew I wasn't a great swimmer going in but to actually have to be saved by a trainer was the absolute low point for me in a never-ending series of them. I just can't seem to catch a break in the Capitol and it's getting to the point where I've started to give up hope of things turning around in time to keep me alive. I mean I know things have to be bad if my normal make the best of every day and roll with the punches attitude is being overshadowed by self-doubt and general apathetic view of my chances.

"Understand neither of you is in trouble, this is just a routine check up to make sure neither of you got hurt during the event."

This is another little insult I have to endure as a pair of white-clad 'physicians' has spent the last several minutes checking every nook and cranny of my body for signs of injury. I mean I'm not alone as the boy from Five, who introduced himself as Luell, is stuck here with me but his checkup wasn't nearly as through or invasive as mine seems to be. The big difference has been the fact that the physicians have made it a point to thoroughly check my groin area, at least, half a dozen times when they hardly glossed over it with him.

"Ok Ms. Alder we're just going to check over your pelvic area once more and then we'll be done."

"Is that really necessary? I mean what are you expecting to find this time that you didn't find the first six times?"

"It's not about finding anything so much as making sure everything down there is in working order. After all, you entered the pool at a rather awkward angle so the potential for pelvic injury was dramatically increased for you."

"But it doesn't hurt and you haven't found anything remotely concerning in the last six checks. What's going to have changed in the last five minutes to warrant going over it again?"

"Look, Ms. Alder, I'm just trying to do my job, this is what I was told to focus on by the trainers so that's what I'm going to do. However if you'd rather skip this we can do so, however, keep in mind that if you do have an injury, however, minor and we fix it before the games you'll be forced to compete with it."

Well, that's the last thing I can afford to saddle myself with at this point. No allies, no real prospect of picking sum up and no real skills to speak of are bad enough without compounding it with a potential injury.

"In that case, I'd rather not take a chance, just please don't press so hard this time. I'm pretty sure I wasn't bruised before the examination started but at this point, it's a toss-up as to whether that's still the case or not."

He offers me a reassuring nod then proceeds to place just as much pressure if not more on my already tender groin and it gets so bad that at one point I'm forced to bite down on my tongue to keep from crying out in pain. Eventually, he finishes up and seems satisfied enough to ok me to slip my training outfit back on before leading me back into the small room off to the side of the main training center where Luell sits patiently with an apprehensive look on his face.

"Ok, the two of you need to wait here while we go over your results with Tal and Ms. Minos. Once they clear you to return top training someone come back and escort you back to the floor."

The two men quickly converse in a hushed whisper before quickly slipping out the door which immediately swung closed behind them and locked with a surprisingly audible click. For the first few seconds, Luell and I simply stare at each other uncomfortably from our chairs as the small analog clock on the wall slowly ticks away and provides us with the only audible noise in the room that is until Luell decides to speak up and break the rather tense atmosphere with a genuinely polite query.

"You took a pretty nasty looking fall off the wall earlier. Are you feeling ok after that?"

"Not really, but that's not necessarily a result of my awkward attempt at a dive, though."

"Well we have plenty of time so if you want to talk about it I'm more than willing to listen."

I'm not sure what game he's trying to play here but he's not very good at whatever it is. Then again maybe the last couple of days have made me jaded and I'm jumping at ghosts and trying to talk myself out of opening up, even slightly to someone who might be genuinely interested in listing to me whine about how terrible the last few days have been. I really hate not knowing how to feel about the people around me, it's frustrating to fear a snake behind every smile.

"If you don't want to talk about it that's ok too, my mom just always told me that talking about things can make them seem less terrible and scary. Sharing my concerns and fears with my allies has made me feel a lot better so I thought it might work for you too."

"Tha…Thank you Luell. I'm just, not use to people being so kind in the Capitol that I guess I've forgotten what genuine concern really looks like."

"It's ok, I mean we've all been struggling to adjust and with how quickly all of this is being thrown at us, it can be a little overwhelming."

"I can understand that I've had a little trouble knowing how to react to a lot of this too. My allies have been a big help and so has my mentor but overall I think it's just required me to open up and believe in the goodness of people, that's how I've been able to really deal with most of what's going on."

"I wish I had as much support as you do. My district partner can't stand talking to me, my mentor is a total waste of space and I haven't been able to find anything resembling an ally so far. In reality as good as your luck seems to have been mine has been the exact opposite."

"Well I can't do much for the first two but I might be able to help with the last one if you're willing to hear me out that is."

Is he saying what I think he's saying?

"Well I'm all ears Luell, what did you have in mind?"

"Now I'd still have to clear it with Quanta and Dargo but if you're willing I'm pretty sure I can get you into our alliance. As long as you're willing to do your fair share that is."

"What exactly would you envision as 'my fair share'?"

"That would honestly depend on what you can do help, but as long as you're willing to contribute something to the group I'm pretty sure they'll be open to bringing you on."

Well, that's not exactly an overly informative recruitment pitch, then again I'm not sure they've really been out trying to bring people in all that often. Not that I can really say I blame them, this year has been full of twists and turns so it might make sense to limit the number of people you try to bring into an alliance unless you're that slightly off-kilter boy from Nine anyway.

"I'm flattered and don't think I'm not, but I do have to wonder why you've waited this long to invite someone else to join, and more importantly why you'd pick me of all the people without an alliance to invite to join yours."

"Well honestly I don't really have an answer to your first question, but the answer to your second one is really simple. Honestly, you have a lot in common with the three of us, all of us have a less than ideal district partner and all of us are scared out of our minds."

"I never said I was scared Luell."

You really don't have to, your eyes say a lot more than your voice ever could."

"My eyes are talking to you?"

"Not necessarily talking so much as giving away how you really feel. It's not a bad thing it just means you're either not very good at or don't like lying to people."

"Well I've never been a very good actor so you may be right, but I'm still not sure why you'd risk bringing me into your alliance so late in the game."

"It's never too late to help someone who needs it. So what do you think?"

Well, I really don't have anything to lose by talking to his other allies, and if the alliance doesn't look as good up close as it does from afar it would be fairly easy to slip away. Provided the others are willing to take me that is.

"Alright I'll talk to them, but I'm not promising anything else. Not until I've had a chance to meet the others at least."

"Fair enough. Now if the trainer would just clear us to go we'd be in business."

* * *

 **Dargo Avene-12(D10M)**

For a while, I wasn't sure Luell was ever going to come out of that little room they led him into after our morning event. I mean if I've learned anything from the number of sick people back in Ten it's that a man in a white coat with a mask is usually a bad thing, the fact that no one seemed to know who he was or why he was taking Luell only made me feel worse. However, it seems like my fears were baseless as eventually he did return though it is just shy of lunch time and he does have the girl from Eleven with him, at least, he's still alive.

"So we were talking while we were waiting and she happened to mention that she doesn't have any allies yet. Well, she seems pretty nice and we could always use another person to help with things so I decided to see if she'd be interested in joining up with us."

"I don't have a problem with that and based on his silence I'm going to assume Dargo doesn't have one either. My concern is that you did this without bothering to ask us about it first. We're a team after all so we should each have a say."

"I agree and that's why I told her she'd have to get approval from you guys to actually get in. All I offered her was a chance to talk to everyone and make her case."

"Well, I still would have preferred you check with us before going that far….I don't see a reason not to, at least, talk to her. What do you think Dargo?"

"W…Well I'm….I'm a little concerned with bringing someone in this late. What happens if she doesn't mesh with what we want to do in the arena? Then again….It might be nice to have someone else who has a little knowledge of the stuff I do, and if she can use a weapon that's even better."

"The only way to get those answers is to talk to her. We're not out anything and we don't have to commit anything to adding her to the alliance. All we have to do is talk to her."

"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to talk to her. It's not like we're going to get much accomplished today anyway. With everyone running around like maniacs it's impossible for me to concentrate and some of the recipes I wanted to try out require very careful attention. Ready to go meet Luell's new friend?"

I'm never ready to meet new people, honestly working up the nerve to talk to Luell or Quanta took more courage and gumption then I thought I had. But it's not like this is going to go away and if my sisters were here they'd be encouraging me to give her a chance, so that's what I'm going to do.

"Sure, let's go talk to her."

Luell's face lights up like a Christmas tree as Quanta nods and motions for him to lead the way to wherever it is he's hidden this girl away. He spins around and makes his way through the maze of stations that were haphazardly thrown back into the room after the pool and wall were returned to their normal place in the undercroft of the center and leads us towards the one station no one seems interested in using today, the plant identification one.

He leads us past the table and back into one of the testing computer stations before motioning for us to wait before quickly disappearing back into the mass of tributes migrating between stations.

"Well, at least, he picked a quiet place for us to talk. I didn't think anything would be this empty being the last day."

"Everyone is probably working on the more impressive skills. I mean survival skills are important but those don't tend to lead to high training scores, not like a sword does anyway."

"I didn't think of it that way but you're probably right. After all, not everyone is as natural with a weapon as you seem to be."

"First off I'm far from a natural and a pitchfork is far from a weapon."

"It looks like a weapon the way you use it."

"Well it's still not a weapon, it's more of a tool. Now that little thing you made yesterday, the one that screamed like a dying animal. Now that's more of a weapon."

"It was a simple sonic grenade. If you'd like I can show you how it works after we're done here."

"Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to understand how to make it. Not without a few weeks of work at least."

"Well I doubt we have that kind of time, but maybe we can work on some easier stuff like that chemical fire from the first day."

I offer her an affirmative nod just as Luell comes back around the corner and into the testing area with the small browned haired girl from Eleven in tow.

"Everyone this is Iliana, Iliana this is Quanta and Dargo."

She offers up a weak smile before cautiously extending her hand to Quanta who takes it gently and offers her a big smile.

"Pleased to meet you Iliana. Luell's been telling us a lot about you."

"All good I hope?"

"All good."

She seems to relax a little as she extends her hand to me and I do my best to replicate Quanta's warm greeting but all I manage to do is come off as awkward and possibly a little sullen as she doesn't seem to respond to me with the same enthusiasm as she did before.

"Well now that I've had the pleasure of meeting Luell's allies is there anything in particular either of you would like to know about me?"

Honestly, I'm hoping for a quick resolution to this as I'm pretty sure I've already embarrassed myself with her as it is but Quanta has other ideas. No sooner has Iliana finished asking her question then she's jumped in with a half-dozen of her own covering everything from her skills to her shoe size. Naturally Iliana is a little taken back by some of the more unique and invasive questions but she answers everything without much hesitation and by the time the lunch whistle blows it looks like our alliance has officially grown by one.

"Well seeing as Dargo doesn't have any questions and you come with Luell's recommendation I'd like to formally extend an invite to our alliance."

She looks quickly between the two of us to see if we have an objection and when Luell smiles and I nod she spins back around and offers Iliana her hand to seal the deal and after a few seconds of hesitation she takes it and happily seals the alliance with an enthusiastic series of pumps. I may still have my doubts but Quanta and Luell are good judges of character so if they say she's good to go I'll agree with their decision on this matter. After all, at the very least this makes one less person trying to kill us, and that's always a good thing.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this completes the first part of day Three and it means we're only one chapter away from the individual sessions and two away from starting the interviews :) I hope everyone is as excited as I am. I'm also putting a poll up on my profile for you guys to look at and it's a pretty simple Yes or No question as to whether you'd rather have an interview for everyone or just one chapter that covers everyone a little bit to get to the games faster. Anyway on to questions**

 **1\. What do you think of the addition of Iliana to the alliance with Quanta, Luell, and Dargo?**

 **2\. Which alliance do you think is in the best position to win?**

 **3\. Which alliance is your favorite?**

 **I hope to have the second part of day 3 up by the end of the week and if all goes well post the training chapter on Sunday or Monday and as long as my homework doesn't get in the way that should be what I'm able to do so here's hoping :)**

 **Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I hope to see you all at the next update :D**

 **Current Alliance List**

 **Careers:**

D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13

D2M- Alex Trake-13

D4F- Iona Harrowell-13

D6M- Aldrin Derino-13

 **Aces and Eights**

D1M- Topaz Kayden-12

D1F- Audrie Christison-13

D8F- Connor McCormick-13

D8M- Archie Razida-13

 **District 12's**

D12F- Brooke Kolstad-13

D12M- Brenton Aldair-13

 **Bulls and Bombs**

D3F- Quanta Bomm-13

D5M- Luell Berring-13

D10M- Dargo Avene-12

D11F- Iliana Alder-13

 **Peace and Happiness**

D7F-Sequoia Sable-12

D9M- Jamie Dexton-12

D10F- Fern Shelton-13

D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12

 **Solo**

D3M- Bryn Snowdon-12

D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13

D7M- Aster Elmore-13

D9F- Alden Devaire-13

D11M- Moriah Trace-12

 **Unknowingly Solo Tribute**

D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13


	14. Hard Truths(Training Day 3 Part 2)

**Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13(D5F)**

I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to find allies, maybe I took it for granted that I'd always be able to find someone but that's not looking all that likely right now. I mean if I have to I could always see if Luell would give me a shot to join his alliance, but I'm not so sure tagging along with them would be all that much better than staying solo. Sure Nikolai has made finding allies a pretty big deal but I'm not as convinced as he is that something is better than nothing, especially with what I have left to pick from as far as allies go.

"Hey is it alright if I sit with you?"

The question catches me off guard as I'd gone out of my way to pick the table farthest away from everyone else for lunch today so I never in a million years thought I'd have to see little loan talk to anyone else. It takes me a second to collect myself before I look up from my bowl of what I think is fish stew to find the stark blue-grey eyes of the boy from Seven staring back at me. The look on his face is somewhere between discomfort and straight up fear but his eyes are as bright and wonder filled as any I've ever seen, the only comparison I can even fathom are how my little brothers look when I'm reading to him before bed.

"I….Sure if you want."

"Thanks."

He drops his tray on the table and plops down in the chair directly across from me before pulling his try over and carefully examining the contents of his bowl.

"I opted for the stew but I'm starting to have second thoughts. Which one did you pick?"

"Sorry?"

"For lunch. Did you pick the stew or whatever that pasta thing was supposed to be?"

"I...The stew."

"Aww so we're in the same boat then. Have you been able to figure out what it's supposed to be because it's got me totally stumped?"

I'm not sure what exactly he's playing at and for some stupid reason that's really driving me insane. I mean I'm thrilled that someone is finally talking to me but this isn't exactly how I pictured my first tribute to tribute training conversation going. Then again at least I'm having one besides me begging for my life or someone else begging me for theirs in the arena which until he sat down was how things were starting to unfold for me. Still I'm not the kind of person to avoid asking a question if I have one, and right now I've got a pretty big one gnawing at the back of my brain.

"I think it's supposed to be some kind of fish…..What exactly are you doing here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you over here talking to me?"

"Did I….Did I do something wrong?"

Smooth move Emi, make the one person who's wanted to talk to you so far feel like they did something wrong by doing it. If this is the kind of vibe I'm putting out it's no wonder no one else has bothered to talk to me.

"No you...You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not used to people in the Capitol wanting to talk to me, you kind of caught me off guard."

"Well, honestly that's part of the reason I wanted to talk to you in the first place."

"You wanted to talk to me because no one else has?"

"Well when you say it out loud it sounds kind of creepy. Like I've been watching you or something and just waiting for the right time to….I'm guna stop before I scare away completely and start again. If that's ok with you that is?"

Well what do I have to lose at this point? It's not like I can fall any further down the no ally ladder by listening to what he has to say. At least I don't think I can anyway.

"By all means, but do try to come off a little less….Stalkerish if you can."

"I'll try but no promises."

He offers me a corny smile and despite my best efforts not to I let a small giggle escape at his lame joke. I don't know why but a part of me feels more….Happy. Like this is the most normal I've felt since the day before the reaping, from the moment the President made her announcement about the rule change I've had this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and this is the first time happiness has overpowered the feeling of dread.

"Well then let's start with names that way if you already know mine it won't seem so strange."

"Sounds good to me. Hi, my name's Aster and I'm from District Seven."

He extends his hand and offers it to me and to my utter surprise I take it even as I'm trying to suppress another bout of laughter.

"Nice to meet you Aster, my name's Emiliana but you can call me Emi. I'm from District Five."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Emi. Now if you'd be so kind as to explain to me what exactly this crap I'm expected to eat is I'd greatly appreciate it."

This time I can't hold back and within seconds I'm giggling and when I look over at him the ridiculously childlike look on his face has me on the verge of tears. It takes me forever to calm down and even when I get my laughing under control I can't suppress the snorting sound I unleash when his facial expression changes from childlike to faux serious.

"I….I can…..I can't even….."

"I see what this is….You saw my ears and now you can't take me seriously. I know they're small but that's no reason to….I can't even finish that one with a straight face."

He lets loose with his own bout of laughter and within seconds mine's resumed and the only sound audible around us is the sound of our happiness. In fact we're so loud one of the trainers has to come over and tell us that lunch is over because our laughter drowned out the bell.

As we gather up our mostly uneaten food I can't help but feel bad at the fact that Aster didn't even touch his while I at least managed to choke down a couple spoonfuls before he sat down.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to eat anything Aster. I feel really bad that you wasted all your time talking to me."

"Meh it's no big deal, it smelt like death anyway so odds are I wouldn't have eaten it regardless. At least now I have a better excuse than 'I didn't know what the hell it was so I didn't touch it' to tell my mentor when he's complaining that I need to eat more."

"Well, I'm glad I could help out."

He offers me another childish grin as he dumps the contents of his tray in the trash and starts to head back towards the training room floor. I'm not sure I should even ask him this, I mean wasn't it enough that e talked to me even after I almost made him feel stupid for doing it? How can I ask someone who has to have better options for allies than me to toss them aside and team up with someone like me? Someone who's been unable to convince the weakest tributes to even approach her with the idea of an alliance?

"Hey Emi, I'm not sure if you already have something set up and what not, but if you don't what would you think of being my a…."

"I accept."

"Well I understand but I figured I could at lea….You what?"

"I said I accept. I'd love to be your ally Aster."

"Well, then this is certainly going to throw my mentor for a hell of a loop. I honestly wasn't prepared for you to say yes or I would have prepared some kind of celebratory cake or something to that effect."

For a couple of seconds I'm not sure if he's really joking, I mean it sounded like a joke and I certainly took it as one but the serious look on his face has me questioning my read on him. Until he cracks a cheeky smile and starts laughing that is.

"Well if you don't have a cake I'm not sure we can do this. After all the celebratory cake was what I was holding out for."

"Tell you what how about I make it up to you by teaching you some of the survival skills I picked up back at home?"

"I guess that'll do, for now. But eventually, I expect some sort of cake. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

 **Topaz Kayden-12(D1M)**

"I think I'm starting to getting better at this."

"Well considering where you were when we started that's not all that surprising. You're still dropping your guard though."

"I told you when we started I was going to struggle with this Audrie. Remember I said 'I'm not that strong so something as heavy as a sword isn't going to be my best weapon', remember."

"I remember you making that a very loud point over dinner a couple nights ago. However I don't really expect you to master this or even to be very good at it, the only thing I'm hoping for is that you'll be able to pick up enough of the basics to hold your own with a machete if you have to use one."

She has a point I guess, after all it's not going to kill me to learn how to use a couple different weapons. No I'm fairly certain the girl from One is going to be what kills me, I mean if looks could kill I'd be dead already.

"Ready to go again?"

"Not really. I'm just not sure this is worth going over a fifth time, if I haven't gotten to sequence down by now I'm probably not going to get it."

"First off this would be number six."

"That doesn't weaken my point it just reinforces it."

"Secondly it's still not about mastering it so much as it's about learning enough that you can stay alive if you need it. Or at least not cut yourself trying it in the arena."

"Wouldn't that be a sight to see? Topaz the embarrassment, the worst tribute in the history of District One cutting himself with his own blade shortly before being decapitated by the female tribute from Ten."

"That's not going to happen, I'm not going to let it happen."

I still don't understand what's going on with Audrie, I mean why is she so insistent on keeping me alive? At first, I thought it might have been a ploy, something Hank cooked up to have her stay close to me and then eliminate me in the bloodbath to as Hank would say 'Expunge the stain of cowardice from our great District'. However I started to doubt that when she told me she turned the career alliance down because they wouldn't take me too then hooked up with Connor and Archie because they would add in Hank's extreme displeasure at her decision and it became pretty obvious that this wasn't part of some master plan of his, but I still haven't figured out why she's doing all this.

"Ok Audrie what's going on?"

"What do you think? I'm trying to keep your confidence up so we can get through this set and hopefully a couple more before the end of training."

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Why are you trying so hard to teach me all of this, I mean I went out of my way to avoid learning some of this at the academy and you know that. We were grouped into the same ten to thirteen-year-old group for crying out loud so you know exactly what I'm good at and what I went out of my way to not even try."

"That just means I have a better understanding of what you can do even if you don't want to I know you have the ability to learn how to if you want to."

"That's….That's not the point though, and you're attempts to avoid the question aren't going to work. Not this time at least."

"Are we really going to do this now or can we wait until later?"

"It needs to be now. I've tried to put it off and so far it's worked but it's starting to get to me and it's going to keep getting to me until I get a straight answer."

"If that's how you want it. Can we at least move this out of earshot? I'd prefer not to talk about this where everyone walking by can hear it."

I incline my head and she places her machete back on the training rack and motions for me to do the same. After I return mine she grabs a pair of towels off the adjacent rack and tosses one my direction before quickly making her way back towards the shelter building station in the far corner of the room.

Initially, I can't figure out why she'd pick back here to talk but after a few seconds, it becomes obvious that the two of us are the only ones back here besides the trainer who looks to be half asleep if not completely so. Grabbing a bundle of supplies labeled shelter half she heads towards the far corner before dumping the contents on the floor and dropping into a sitting position with a thump.

"Grab your stuff and get over here, I'm not yelling across the room. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of talking about this in private."

Scooping up a bundle I quickly scurry back to join her in what looks like a giant sand pit. I vaguely recall being told at one point or another that this station had various small pits where we could practice building shelters on and in different types of terrain but I can't for the life of me figure out what type of arena could possibly have enough sand in it to justify building on it and not something sturdier. Regardless I quickly dump my contents on the ground a few feet from Audries' before sliding down next to her.

"Ok first things first, let's cover the shelter then I'll answer your questions, deal?"

"Deal."

"Ok this is a shelter half, that means each bag only has half of a full shelter so we'll need two of them in the arena for them to be worth anything. Now the instructions are on this paper here and it should be self-explanatory as to what goes where. Once you get your half set up and I get mine we'll put them together and see how we did."

"Ok."

She turns to her pile and I do the same and within a few minutes I have everything sorted out into their appropriate piles and have begun to thread the collapsible pole through what I assume is the outer wall portion of my half of the shelter.

"So what exactly is it you want to ask me Topaz?"

"There's a lot honestly, but I guess the important thing would be why. Why did you pick me with all my flaws over the careers?"

"That's….That's not an easy question to answer and it honestly has a lot more to do with me then anything else."

"Well you said you'd answer my question, so please answer it."

"Ok….Honestly I made the decision to help you and turn the careers down because I couldn't do what they were asking me to do, just like I couldn't do what Hank wanted me to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Honestly I almost did join the careers, in fact even after spending forever fighting to get in with me I still almost told him yes."

"That's comforting. So what changed your mind?"

"After arguing with Lachlan and setting us up with Connor and Archie I assumed everything was done, but I wasn't that lucky. The next day obviously Hank tore into the both of us at breakfast but that was after he talked to me privately. He told me allying with you was going to get me killed, that it was in my best interest for survival to see if Lachlan and the other careers would take me back."

"He made that point abundantly clear at breakfast too."

"Right, but the thing is I actually talked to Lachlan and Antonia like he told me to. I went back and asked them what I could do to get into the alliance, and they told me I could come back if I…..If I…."

"If you what?"

"If I killed you and Connor in the Bloodbath."

Well, that's certainly a gut punch. I mean I expected it based purely on the fact that Lachlan is a grade A asshole but I would never have thought the girl from Two, whose sole purpose seems to be to kill me would let herself be deprived of the chance to do it.

"So you turned them down?"

"Not at first."

"What?"

"Look I'm not proud of this but I told them I'd think about it and get back to them at lunch."

"Do...Do I want you to keep going or is this something we should just bury? Wait don't….Don't answer that, just keep talking."

"I thought it over and when we broke for lunch they pulled me aside and I told them I couldn't do it. I told them there was no way I could betray Connors' trust like that, that I couldn't betray your trust like that. I told them I couldn't betray you like that."

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing. Still I'd think with the way you so defiantly refused to let me be excluded in the first place would have given you the strength to refuse their offer outright."

"Look I'm not proud of what I did Topaz, but I'm scared. I'm so scared that I haven't slept since we got here and the only reason I haven't passed out from exhaustion is that I'm terrified that if I do I'll miss something or forget something I'll need later to survive."

"I'm scared too, but I never contemplated killing you to save myself."

"I've regretted that for every second since. The fact that I even thought about becoming the kind of monster that would do anything she had to in order to win sickens me to the core. I just hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me even though I can't forgive myself."

"I….Of course I forgive you. I'm a little upset you thought you had to keep this from me and I'd be lying if I said I'm not furious at the thought that you even considered the offer, but that doesn't mean I don't understand why you did it."

"Thank you Topaz, that means a lot….Do you have any other questions?"

"I have a lot of questions, but they can wait. Let's get this shelter together so we can get back to weapon training. At this point I think I prefer the physical bruises to the emotional ones."

* * *

 **Bryn Snowdon-13(D3M)**

As far as birthdays go this one hasn't been all that bad. Sure most people would think spending your birthday training to fight to the death would be a real downer but honestly, it hasn't been all that bad. Sure it's a little lonely without my parents and Leo to celebrate with but I've had plenty of toys and gadgets to tinker with and I've managed to read and learn more about the Capitol and how it's amazing tech works, so in reality it's been incredibly fun.

"Why are you back here tinkering with this stupid stuff nerd?"

Ugh, I hate this guy, not only is he a total ass but his voice has to be the single most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life. It just permeates the air around me in such an intrusively awful way, it's almost so bad I can't focus. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be too bright so if I use enough big words he'll probably go away like he did yesterday.

"You never know what might come in handy in a high-stress survival scenario Lachlan."

"Hey you learned my name, I guess you finally decided to remember the name of the man who's going to climb to glory over your corpse."

"Well since you're the only person who bothers to talk to me in here I figured the least I could do is learn your name. After all, it's hard to have a mutually beneficial conversation if I don't know what to call you. Now would you like to help me take this watch apart? I might need some assistance keeping track of the smaller gears while I replace the big one."

"No I don't want to help you fix the watch, and why the hell are you bothering with this stupid crap anyway? Wouldn't your time be better spent training with a weapon or something or are you hoping to die without making a scene?"

Well, this isn't working out like I planned, usually by now he's gone or I've at least cracked through enough of his ignorance and stupidity that he's cussing me out for my unwillingness to be a 'normal' tribute. This time, he's just standing there saturating the air with his awful voice. Maybe it's time to notch up my offensive.

"Well, you're missing out because this is truly fascinating. The way the gears move and work together to make the hands move is absolutely fascinating and there are no real limits to how it could be applied in the arena. I mean the trap options alone with gears are almost too numerous to count. Then you add in the advantages that being able to tell time could afford if you found a watch in the arena or got a broken one from a sponsor, or you could even make on I suppose if you could figure out the angle of the sun relative to the arenas movement."

"Do you even have a rough grasp on social skills or do you act like this around your friends back home? That is supposing someone as weird and nerdy as you have friends."

"Of course, I have friends but we'd never discuss something like this back home. First off none of us could ever get our hands on something as amazing as this watch and even if we did and started taking it apart I'd never be contemplating the trap applications of gears in an arena setting."

"You've got no idea how to be normal do you?"

"I think I'm pretty normal all things considered, not that there's anything wrong with being abnormal. I once met a kid in school in my communications programming class who was so engrossed in the technical aspects of the class he started drawing circuit diagrams in his spare time after school. By the end of the year, he had a notebook filled with drawings that were so intricate and complex that when the teacher showed one of the technicians she though he'd been copying blueprints for some of their stuff."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, that had to be the most pointlessly boring collection of random shit facts I've ever had the displeasure of listening to. If that's your idea of talking to people it's no wonder that no one wants to waste their time with you as an ally."

"How do you know I don't have an ally?"

"Because who in their right mind would ally with a basket case like you?"

I don't know how much more of this asshole I can take like he's seriously getting on my nerves. It's one thing for him to permeate and saturate my space with his poisonous presence and voice but I'm not sure how much longer I can tolerate his constant attacks on my character.

Luckily I don't have to find out as before I even formulate an effective response to his last idiotic statement the end of training gong rings out and a trainer quickly comes by and scoops up my unfinished project before scurrying away. For his part, Lachlan is already waiting at the elevator by the time this happens so at least I'm spared the agony of listening to him continue speaking. I quickly gather my things together and head towards the elevator with the slow-moving mass of other tributes and despite myself, I can't help but smile.

Even after having to suffer Lachlan like that this has still been a pretty good birthday and with the knowledge that this very well could be my last one I intend to enjoy as much as I can. I just hope the avox that tidies up my room didn't lose my page in the book I'm reading like she did yesterday, but if she did I'll get to enjoy the chapters I've already read all over again so it wouldn't be all that bad.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that takes care of the training and that means we're one step closer to the start of the games :) I hope everyone's as excited as I am about this.**

 **Now just as a reminder the poll on my profile is still up so if you haven't voted yet be sure to do it by Tuesday night before I post the next chapter if you want to vote :)**

 **1\. What did you think of Audries revelation to Topaz?**

 **2\. Do you think she made the right choice?**

 **3\. How do you think it will effect the alliance?**

 **4\. What do you think of our newest alliance?**

 **5\. What did you think of the interaction between Lachlan and Bryn?**

 **6\. Finally who's your pick for highest scoring tribute and lowest scoring tribute for the individual session scores?(This is just for fun)**

 **Again I hope to have the next chapter up early Wednesday morning before I head off to school but in the meantime please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far :) and I'll see you all at the next update :D**


	15. Setting the Board(Individual Sessions)

**Celine Minos(Head Game Maker)**

"I still don't understand why this is an issue, can't we just score them like we do every year and be done with it?"

"No Centaura we can't."

"Why not Gregor? What's stopping us from scoring this the same way we've been doing it for the last thirty years?"

"For starters, this isn't a normal year so we absolutely can't approach it like it is."

"A Quarter Quell isn't a normal year either but that didn't stop you from using this system to score the One-hundredth games and it sure as hell didn't stop Seneca Crane from using it for the Third Quell."

"Those games were different in a different way. This is the first time since they standardized the scoring system that we've had twenty-four tributes all under the age of fourteen so if we use the scale we're going to make a mockery of the games."

"How in the hell is scoring the tributes like we do every, single, year going to make a mockery of the games?!"

I can't believe how long the two of them have been rehashing the same points of this argument. I mean really how many times can Centaura ask Gregor the same question and how many times can he give her the same answer before one of them finally concedes a point? Then again maybe I shouldn't be surprised, after all, Gregor is the only member of my staff to have worked with my immediate predecessor Seneca Crane and Centaura is every bit Tyranna's niece and has absolutely no qualms about arguing a point to death. If I don't put a stop to this soon they just might keep arguing through the individual sessions.

"That's enough! Now we don't have a lot of time left so each of you gets three minutes to summarize your position, without interruption from the other. Lay out what you're thinking and why and I'll make the decision. Centaura you go first."

"Thank you, ma'am. As I've been saying since the beginning I think the best way to score this year would be to do exactly what we've been doing for years. Rate the tributes one to twenty-four like always and then compare the top tribute to the standard of a twelve and the worst to the standard of zero. If the top falls short of perfect then slot them in at eleven or ten and the worst between zero and what the next lowest tribute earned and move up or down from there."

"So essentially what you're suggesting is we mold the scoring to the tributes and score them like a normal year?"

"Exactly ma'am. We've had this system for over three decades, it's seen us through two-quarter quells and we know it works. Why change it now?"

"That's a very compelling point Centaura thank you. Gregor your rebuttal?"

"It's not really a rebuttal so much as a reinterpretation of how to score the tributes."

"Well, whatever you want to call it has three minutes to make its case."

"Then all be brief and say this as simply as I can. We can't use the current system like Centaura is suggesting because it'll inflate the odds."

"Ok I'm probably going to regret asking this but I guess I have to do it anyway. How exactly would it inflate the odds?"

"Ma'am the current system was set up after it became obvious that the current career trend was only going to get stronger as more and more of them won. Once it became clear that every year we were inherently going to have a minimum of three to four exceptionally trained tributes competing each year the decision was made to expedite the scoring process by setting the scale up as we know it today. The issue is that the scale requires there to be at least a few highly trained tributes in the mix and we just don't have that this year.

Let's take the girl from Two as an example shall we. Under the system Centaura is suggesting if she's the best tribute but falls short of perfection as we all expect her to do she'd be scored somewhere between eleven and nine depending on how the rest of the scores play out, but what happens if her ability would only warrant a score of seven? If we give her a ten instead of the seven simply because she was the best tribute this year it creates a whole new standard of scoring going forward. We'd be watering down what it means to get a ten and the people wouldn't understand how or why the change came to be."

"So what exactly is it you're suggesting Gregor?"

"Score them to the same standard you would in a normal year but instead of molding the scale to the tributes hold them to the established standard. If the top score only warrants a seven or an eight then that's what they get, in the short-term this may cause some confusion as the oddsmakers have a tough time placing the tributes but in the long run, it'll not only preserve the integrity of the scores but it;ll make for a much more exciting and unpredictable game overall."

"You both made some excellent points but in the end, I have to do what's best for the games as a whole and not just this year. With that in mind please instruct the other game makers to score according to Gregor's suggestion. I'd rather have a glut of average tributes with no clear-cut favorite then throw off the entire system by overscoring an average tribute as a great one."

"Ma'am if I could have just a few seconds to refute what Gregor said I'm sure I can convince you to reconsider this awful position."

"We don't have time for that Centaura and I will not have my decisions seconds guessed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal ma'am."

"Good, now carry out my orders and I'll see both of you in the dais in a few minutes."

The two of them quickly rise and sweep out of the room though by the look on her face you'd think Centaura had just been sentenced to die rather than losing a simple fight over tribute scoring. I can sympathise with her views on the issue but I can't afford to let myself look at this the way she is.

To her this is just another Hunger Games, and her job as head mutt designer doesn't really change, but for me everything has changed because of what Tyranna did and I'm the one that has to find a way to make her knee-jerk decision work and as much as I may dislike it this is the best way. I just hope Centaura doesn't go whining to her aunt about this, the last thing I need is the President sticking her nose in the middle of this mess.

* * *

 **Antonia Bismarck-13(D2F)**

This has to have been the longest twenty minutes of my life. From the second Audrie went into the time they called Topaz seemed like an eternity but now it's just getting ridiculous. Like every ten seconds I'm looking up at the clock to see how much time has passed and every time I do I feel like an idiot when I realize just how little times gone by since I last looked.

"Chill out Antonia, it's not like you're going to have to do much to look impressive compared to the two losers who went before you."

"That's not the point Lachlan, and I really don't think Audrie fits anywhere into the category of loser."

"Of course she does, why else would she turn down our alliance to hook up with Topaz and those walking corpses from Eight?"

I don't know what he's trying to prove but it's really getting old. I mean at this point no one is taking anything he says seriously because he's constantly running his mouth without the ability to back it up. At first, it was kind of amusing but now it's gotten to the point that I can't stand to be around him. Maybe it's just that our personalities clash or maybe it's the cavalier way he treats everyone and everything around him that pisses me off but whatever it is is getting old fast.

"Iona can you please explain to your district partner that this in neither the time nor the place to be having this discussion?"

"If he won't listen to you what makes you think he's going to listen to me?"

She's got a point, Lachlan has an issue with not making himself stick out. The issue is that the way he's approaching all of this is incredibly detrimental to the order and discipline of the group, hell that's the majority of the reason we decided to cut him out. Then again maybe that's what's really pissing me off, the fact that Iona Alex and I decided to cut Lachlan out and rather than being straight with him we decided to hide it in the hopes of eliminating him early.

I mean part of me understands why we're going about it this way, after all not telling him is the safest way to go about eliminating him as a threat but the whole idea of lying and sneaking around behind his back just doesn't sit well with me, but then I never have been a very good liar, at least not when I know I'm lying that is.

" _Antonia Bismarck please report to the training center for your individual evaluation."_

"Finally, now you three don't have to much fun without me, and Lachlan for the love of god please try to tone down your boasting and shit talking."

"No promises."

Of course not, I wouldn't have believed you anyway but I have to do the 'sane' leader thing and at least, make the effort to keep you from sticking your foot farther down your throat then it already is. Regardless I quickly make my way down the hall giving Aldrin a thumbs up as I go before stopping before the doors to compose myself.

"Just take a deep breath and do what you've been doing the whole time. Quick, clean, and simple with no mistakes and I'll be fine. Quick, clean, and simple. Quick, clean, and simple."

I keep reciting the line my trainers back in Two taught me even as it gets less and less audible until finally the words ring in my head and nowhere else. A few seconds later I step up to the door and it quickly slides open before me to reveal a much more compact and cluttered training room then I remember as it looks like they've made every effort to cram every possible station and weapon into a small area directly in front of the dais where the game makers sit idling chatting and stuffing their faces with food as I confidently make my way towards the center of the room.

"Antonia Bismarck, District Two."

I stare up at them as a rather pretty girl with stunningly beautiful silver hair in an intricate pixie cut slowly saunters towards the front of the dias.

"Wellcome Ms. Bismarck. This will be your individual session, you'll have ten minutes to present to us whichever skill or skills you wish. Once your time is up or you've shown us everything you wish to show please leave everything where it is and an avox will return it to its proper place. After that please return to the circle you're currently standing in and wait to be dismissed. Once we do dismiss you please quickly make your way to the auxiliary lift in the back of the room and return directly to your suite. Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Very well. Your time starts now."

It takes me maybe half a second to register what she says and before I know it I'm moving on instinct and impulse as I quickly make my way towards the pile of weapons in the corner of the room. It takes me a few seconds of searching but luckily I manage to find the pouch of darts rather quickly and by the time I collect them and program the dummies to move in the pattern I want. After I finish up I take a peek back at the timer and to my surprise, I still have just a tick over seven minutes left.

"Ok calm down Antonia and remember, quick, clean, and simple."

I take a couple of deep calming breaths before grabbing the first dart and twirling it between my fingers as I try to zero in on my first target. Once I decide which target to attack I do my best to focus in on the center of the head before I send my first dart sailing down with a mighty grunt.

I do everything exactly the same way I always have but I do something wrong and my first shot falls low and left and embeds itself in the shoulder of my intended target. Doing my best to calm down and refocus I quickly grab my second dart and end it flying long before I really have a chance to pick a target and, unfortunately, this one sails harmlessly between two of the targets and comes to a rest in the thick padding of the wall beyond.

"Calm down Antonia and focus. You need to focus and remember your fundamentals. Quick, clean, and simple Antonia. Quick, clean, and simple."

I grab my third dart and this time I actually listen to my own advice and take a couple of seconds to compose myself before zeroing in on a target and letting the dart fly before I have a chance to change my mind, and to my utter disbelief this one snuggly embeds itself in the center of the targets chest.

My confidence restored I throw the other nine darts down at a slow and steady pace and by the time I send my last one down range I've managed to connect on eleven of twelve throws with six of those eleven landing in a fatal spot for a human. Slightly pleased at my ability to recover from such a shaky start I quickly jab the target return button and send the targets screaming back towards the back of the room where an avox waits patiently for his or her instructions to clean up after me.

After I'm sure all the targets have made it back to where they belong I quickly make my way back towards the center of the room and assume my spot in the small circle in the center with just a hair under thirty seconds to spare. Once I bring myself to a stop the same woman from before quietly makes her way back to the front of the dias and offers me an enchantingly warm smile.

"Excellent work Ms. Bismarck. If you'll please follow the captain he'll escort you to the lift, and once again excellent work."

I offer her a very relieved smile as the white-clad peacekeeper makes his way slowly towards the back of the room with a pained grimace and a small limp. Part of me is curious about what happened to him but I quash my curiosity and instead quickly make my way back to where he patiently waits for me. Once I join him it only takes a fraction of a second for the lift to shoot down from wherever it had been and within seconds I'm safely inside and speeding off towards the relative comfort of my room. I only hope that woman's words of encouragement were as genuine as they sounded because if they were I just might have given myself a real chance to win this thing.

* * *

 **Archie Razida-13(D8M)**

I hope I don't screw this up, I mean Connor is putting an awful lot of trust in me to make our alliance with District One look strong and I'd hate to disappoint her after she went out of her way to find us a decent alliance. So far I've managed to afford myself quite well but this is a completely different situation, this time, I'm not going to have my allies skills and advice to fall back on if I screw something up and I'm not sure I trust myself enough to try some of the harder things I've learned without them.

" _Archie Razida please report to the training center for your individual evaluation session."_

At this point I'm the sixteenth tribute called and by now the only people still left in the room with me are all just as scared as I am and where earlier the tributes from Two and Four went off towards their session with boasting and joy it takes all the strength I can muster not to turn and try to make a break for the elevator in some childish attempt to escape what's about to happen. If only.

Doing my best to mask my fear and hide my unease I force myself out of the small chair I've occupied for the better part of the last couple hours and slowly but surely make my way down the hall past the watchful gazes of over a hundred past victors until I find myself standing very unsteadily before the large double doors separating the training center from the entrance foyer.

Taking a second to calm myself and prevent what I'm sure is an impending hyperventilation I stare down at the tiny scrap of white fabric wrapped around my wrist that serves as my token. Staring down at the once pristine fabric now covered in sweat stains and a small amount of blood from the bloody nose I gave myself yesterday trying to spar with Topaz I can't help but marvel at just how representative of my old life this little strip of fabric really is. For me this fabric is less about me and more about the terrible hardships everyone I know and love has had to endure working in the factories of Eight. Like this cloth my family is pure and wonderful but the realities of our lives keep staining them just like the cloth, and just like a little water would make the cloth pure again so can the liberating waters of my Hunger Games victory. I just have to believe in myself and my allies and I'll finally have a chance to give my family everything they deserve.

Raising my head and brushing away the few tears that managed to slip down my cheeks I quickly make my way forward and the door opens without hesitation as I quickly make my way towards the big circle in the center of the room.

"Archie Razida, District Eight."

Judging by the looks on the faces of the people on the dais I can tell they've gone a decent while without seeing anything truly worth seeing, at least as far as they're concerned anyway. After a few seconds of awkward silence, a grizzled old man slowly makes his way to the front where he pauses to wipe a few crumbs from his flowing purple beard before turning his hard cold eyes towards me.

"Welcome Mr. Razida to your individual evaluation session. Arrayed around the room we have a small sampling of every station you've been able to train on over the last three days and a few on call personnel should you wish to do something more physical. After we finish up here you'll have ten minute to display to us your chosen skill or skills. Once you've shown us what you wish to show or your allotted time expires return to the center circle you're currently standing in and wait for us to dismiss you. Once you've been dismissed a peacekeeper will escort you to the life on the far side of the room. Once you board the life go directly back to your assigned suite floor and wait for the scoring show. Do you have any questions?"

"N...No sir, none sir."

"Very well your time begins now."

I move over towards the grappling matt where Topaz and I spent the lion share of our combat training time and quickly remove my shoes before turning back towards the dais and asking in as calm and clear a voice as I can manage.

"May I have a sparing partner please?"

"Of course, you may young man. Luscious, would you be so kind as to spar with Mr. Razida?"

A lean young man in a white jumpsuit makes his way out of the shadows and offers the old man a curt nod before slipping out of his shoes and quickly making his way towards the matt.

"What kind of sparing did you have in mind son?"

"Grappling and wrestling I guess."

"Very well."

He quickly makes his way over to the red side of the matt and patiently waits for me to get ready and take my place on the blue line before offering me a slight but respectful bow and dropping down into an awkward stance I've never seen before. Not really knowing how to respond to his unorthodox stance I decide on the direct approach and after a few feints, I dive towards his legs hoping to end the fight quickly with a leg bar I learned yesterday.

Unfortunately my current opponent is much quicker than Topaz was and he manages to slip away before delivering a soft but sound backhand to my exposed head that sends me sprawling to the ground with a resounding thud. It takes me a second to recover and even when I manage to get to my feet the ringing in my ears is profound enough that it takes me a few extra seconds to shake the cobwebs off enough that I can even hear myself think.

"I guess the direct approach isn't going to work is it?"

"You never know kid, but I wouldn't go so low and off balanced if you decide to try it again."

Part of me is a little surprised he answered me at all but the fact that his pack is facing the dais where the game makers are watching our match with token interest might have played a factor in his decision to offer me the advice in the first place. Trying to process his advice and formulate another plan of attack I take a second to check the clock to see how much time I have left and to my dismay I'm down to my last three minutes so whatever I decide to do I have to do it quick.

Deciding that maybe my best bet it to be unpredictable and spontaneous instead of over thinking things I decide to charge him again but this time instead of trying to grab his legs I simply throw all my weight forward and fling myself into his knees with every ounce of strength I can muster. Surprisingly this seems to catch him off guard and I send him crashing to the matt with a scream as his hands fly instinctively towards his left knee. Taking advantage of his distraction I quickly pop back to my feet and race towards his prone forum where I quickly wrap my arms around his neck from behind and do everything I can to choke the air out of his lungs as the clock continues to tick slowly towards zero.

Once the clock reaches thirty seconds I start to panic and without thinking I ramp up the pressure on his neck without taking the repercussions into account and within seconds his once labored breathing has become a mess of gagging sounds until finally with just a hair over five seconds left I hear the unmistakable sound of his hand slamming on the ground as he finally taps out.

Relieved I quickly release my hold as he wretches on the floor before turning a very disapproving gaze my way as a pair of avox rush out to offer him water and clean up the floor. Offering back a sheepishly apologetic smile of my own I quickly scamper back into the central circle as the older game maker slowly makes his way back to the front of the dais.

"Good work Mr. Razida. If you'll please follow the sergeant she'll escort you to the life."

Offering the assembled masses on the dais what I hope is a graceful bow I quickly fall in step a few feet behind the peacekeeper who quickly leads me to the back of the room where she presses a series of buttons on the wall revealing a life hiding behind a false wall. Standing aside she ushers me in and I quickly jab my finger into the bright orange button with the number Eight printed on it and within seconds the door shoots closed and I'm rushing up towards the safety and comfort of my floor.

All things considered, I think I had a good showing today, I just hope the game makers don't hold my making my sparing partner throw up against me when it comes time to give me my score.

* * *

 **Fern Shelton-13(D10F)**

"YOU DID WHAT FOR YOUR SESSION?!"

"I tied a couple of simple knots and identified a couple different types of sagebrush that I've seen around my family's farm and mentioned a couple of ways you can use them medicinally and in cooking in a pinch."

"Why in the hell would you do that?!"

"Wren try to calm down, I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason for showing the game makers the skills she did."

"Those aren't skills Paige they're a white flag. At this point, she's as good as telling the game makers she doesn't care about surviving the games."

"Wren stop it right now. It's obvious you're too emotional to do this right now so take Dargo upstairs and work on his interview with Sparkle."

"I'm not too emotional and Fern is still my tribute too so I have every intention of getting to the bottom of why she's let me waste my time trying to line her up sponsors if she's not even going to try to compete."

"Wren we have two tributes and we agreed to mentor them together. Now I'm asking you to go work with Dargo and Sparkle upstairs while I talk with Fern. Can you do that for me?"

I can tell Wren's not happy and every part of her is screaming in defiance at the thought of leaving me alone with Paige when she has so many unanswered questions. Luckily her better judgement wins out or maybe Paige is just better at talking her down then I thought she'd be, but, either way, Wren eventually throws up her hands in defeat and stops up the stairs with a string of curse words following behind like a trail of ducklings follow their mother.

Letting a small smile slip at the thought of a trail of tiny ducklings following Wren while quacking curse words I have to stop myself from giggling as Paige spins around and stares me down with a stoic glare I didn't know anyone outside of my parents possessed.

"Ok Fern you need to tell me what's going on and you need to do it now."

"I don't know what you're talking about Paige."

"Yes, you do so don't try and play dumb. I'm much better at it than you are anyway. Now let's try this again. What the hell is going on with you Fern?"

"I….I just didn't feel like prancing around like an idiot trying to impress them. I'm going to be dead in a couple days anyway so I might as well hold on to what little pride I can before the end."

"Fern you're not going to die in a couple of days so you need to stop thinking like that. You have just as good a chance as anyone else does of winning the Games this year and it's time you start acting like it."

"I have no shot to win Paige."

"Yes, you do….Look at what happened last year. When the Games started no one in their right mind thought Kimma was going to win, she was the twentieth ranked tribute out of twenty-four the night before the Games started and, in the end, she was the one that walked out. Once the Games start all the preparation and bravado goes out the window and it all comes down to who wants to survive more."

"That's the point, though….I don't….I don't want to survive."

"You…..WHAT!?"

"I...I made peace with my death the second they called my name at the reaping and I made that very clear to my family when I said my goodbyes. I have no intention of coming out of this alive Paige so the least I can do is die with my ideals intact."

"What ideals are those exactly? The ideal that giving up is easier than trying? The ideal that death in the arena is better than winning and going back to District Ten? What exactly is it that you're trying to prove?"

"That they can't make me a monster like everyone else! That I'm not going to stoop to their level and play in the muck so everyone else can get a laugh at my expense! I'm doing this because the Games have caused enough pain and suffering without my adding to it!"

"Fern that is the most naive and childish thing I've ever heard in my entire life."

"Of course, you'd think that Paige. You're a victor so you're a part of the problem after all."

"I don't suppose there's anything I can say to change your mind is there?"

"No there's not."

"Well then I have one request, don't torpedo Dargo too. Just because you don't care about making it home and living doesn't mean he doesn't so the least you can do in your interview tomorrow is not drag his stock down with yours."

She spins around and quickly makes her way upstairs leaving me alone with my thoughts in the sitting room. A part of me is furious at her for acting like that but another part is just as mad at myself for not thinking about how my actions might affect Dargo and the friends and allies I've made in the Capitol. It's not enough to change my mind about what I'm going to do but at the very least I should, at least, try to make what I do look like an accident. I just hope when the time comes I don't talk myself out of doing what needs to be done.

Slowly making my way towards the couch in the center of the room I throw myself into its plush embrace and quickly find myself nodding off when I loud blaring that seems to echo from everywhere at once snaps me out of my dazed stupor and immediately draws my attention to the t.v.

A few seconds later Paige, Wren, Dargo, Sparkle and the stylists quickly file into the room and slide into whatever seating they can find as the loud blaring sound is quickly replaced by the sound of the Anthem of Panem. I straighten up a little and express as much interest as I can in what's about to happen as the national seal disappears and is replaced by the fire colored face of the Master of Ceremonies Lanteia Cintas. Settling back in my seat I try to act interested as she goes over a few things before finally introducing the Head Game Maker who also says a few things I hardly listen to before the screen finally shifts to a picture of the girl from One and the first score is finally revealed.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this takes us up to the score reveals :) and it also means we're getting ever so close to the start of the Games :D Now given the nature of this particular chapter I'm not going to ask questions as I'm sure I'll have plenty of them after I reveal the scores to everyone in a couple of days but I'd still love to hear what everyone thought of the chapter and everything we saw so I encourage everyone to review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. Other than that I hope see you all in a couple of days for the scores and this weekend for the abbreviated interview chapter and by next Wednesday, we'll be at the bloodbath :D**


	16. Measuring Up(Individual Session Scores)

**Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

This is the first time I think Sagitarria has been so quiet and under control since I met her at the reaping. Then again no one is really saying anything as we stare at the t.v. almost unblinking as we wait for Celine and Lanteia to finish up with their obligatory remarks and reveal the numbers that may very well determine who lives and dies in the coming days.

" _Well, I'm sure glad to have you here with me again Celine. So tell us about the challenges you faced with this particular crop of tributes before we dive in and start revealing scores."_

Oh come on just reveal the scores already. It's not like everyone doesn't know that this year had to be a hard one to score with all of us being so young and no real standout superstar hiding among us, it's not like anyone outside of a few hardcore gamblers really care about this anyway.

" _Well as I'm sure everyone can imagine it was a major test for everyone as for the first time in a long time we don't really have a single tribute or group of tributes that stand head and shoulders above the others. This made it a little more interesting and heated in among the other game makers and myself when we were discussing the scores."_

" _I'm sure it was quite a heated debate. But enough with the delay let's get this party started by revealing the scores of our tributes from District One."_

" _Yes well, this year District One sent us Audrie Christison and Topaz Kayden and considering the falling out they had with the traditional career alliance both and the little issue Topaz had during his reaping both of them afforded themselves quite well. Audrie pulled down a respectable score of seven which ties her for the second highest score overall while Topaz did better than expected with a five."_

Well that's a little surprising to say the least not that I'm questioning Topaz or his abilities but for there to be so little separation between the two of them when Audrie was obviously the superior tribute throughout training leads me to wonder if he was holding back or if I was just overvaluing what I saw out of the two of them.

" _Well that's certainly good news for our District One fans out there, but how did their biggest competition in the race to be the first District to twenty-five victors fair? Tell us about District Two."_

" _Well as expected District Two provided us with one of the best if not the best tributes in this year's field in the person of Antonia Bismarck. Antonia set the pace early and almost no one was able to catch her and that's why she ended up tied for the high score with an eight. Now her partner Alex Trake also did very well for himself by pulling down a six, but in the end, his partner was just that much better than him and almost everyone else."_

Well, that's hardly a surprise either. Antonia was the fastest, the strongest, and easily the most confident tribute this year so it makes sense that she'd score high. I'm a little surprised that Alex didn't, at least, tie Audrie but again my impression of him might be based more on what I think careers are and not necessarily what they actually are.

" _Well it looks like Two might be the District to beat but we still have a long way to go and that brings us to District Three. Tell us how everyone's favorite district of geniuses did this year."_

This is the moment everyone has been waiting for and you can almost feel the room tighten up as Celine shuffles through her papers for a few seconds before finding the one with our scores on it and turning her attention back towards the cameras.

" _Well one again District Three has provided us with two of the smartest tributes in the field and both of them managed to translate those smarts into tangible skills for us to score. Quanta Boom is an absolute bundle of energy and I don't think I've ever seen another tribute do so much in so short a time and her quality of work made it easy for us to give her a solid five. Her district partner Bryn Snowdon didn't bring the same energy level but he was almost as impressive with his session and we scored him with a rather respectable four."_

When she reveals Bryn's score it's like all the air gets sucked out of the room as everyone turns a sympathetic eye his way as the first string of tears start to bubble up in his eyes. For a moment, I want to say something but I'm not sure what I could say when our mentor Zapp swoops in and wraps him in a reassuring hug.

"Hey, you got a really good score for someone your age Bryn. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed or worried about with that score."

Bryn wipes away his tears and offers him a small smile but I can see the fear and concern hiding behind his eyes, however before I can even fathom how to make him feel better the broadcast resumes and my attention is immediately returned to the screen.

" _So now we come to the other half of the career alliance with District Four. How did our little fish do this year?"_

" _Well, unsurprisingly the little fish look more like little sharks than anything else as both Iona Harrowell and Lachlan Melbourne ran up identical scores to their allies in District Two but in reverse. Iona pulled down a solid Six while Lachlan tied Antonia for the top scorer spot with an impressive Eight."_

I can't say I'm all that surprised as Lachlan has spent almost as much time talking shit as he has training. It would have been embarrassing for him not to at least tie for the top spot given everything he's said over the last few days. Iona has been the hardest tribute to read overall as I can't seem to get a lock on her personality or motives in the games and that may make her the scariest career to face overall.

" _Well, it looks like the careers are shaping up to be quite a powerful alliance. Now let's move on to District Five, how did those bright little ones do?"_

" _Well, this year Five sent us Emiliana Jameson and Luell Berring and much like every year they brought a different perspective to the Games that's become synonymous with their District. This year Emiliana scored a respectable five while her partner Luell did just ok with a score of three."_

Well if Bryn was feeling any pressure about his low score it's all but gone as he's now safely above at least one tribute in the standings. I just wish it hadn't ended up being my ally.

" _Well, it looks like District Five has its work cut out for it if it hopes to crown a victor this year. Now let's move on from those that power Panem to those who drive it forward, how did District Six fair this year?"_

" _Well as has become the norm for the District we've once again been treated to two high-quality competitors in the persons of Kaelia Blitzen and Aldrin Derino. Now Kaelia managed to overcome a shaky start and her rather limited talents to post a rather respectable score of four while her incredibly impressive district partner Aldrin set the slandered for non-career tributes by tying Audrie for second place in scoring with a seven."_

" _Well this is quite a turn isn't it? I can't wait to see how the other half of the tributes faired but they'll have to wait until we come back from a short break…."_

The two of them smile broadly as the camera slowly pulls away until the two of them are no bigger than specs of dust before the screen finally fades to black and the National Seal of Panem fades into view. Part of me is still too shocked to think straight; I mean how can everyone have scored so low? In a normal year, the head game maker would be absolutely livid at the lack of talent displayed so far yet she's been amazingly quiet and in control so far. I just hope that means she's saving her wrath for some incredibly bad scores later on, after all, that might be the only way Luell has a chance of being something other than a drag on our alliance.

* * *

 **Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

Well, everything seems to be going according to plan so far. I expected high scores out of the career districts and even Aldrin snagging a seven wasn't unexpected. I do however wish my ally Emi had managed to do a little better than a five but as long as I do as well or better we should be ok.

" _We're back Panem and now it's time to see how the other half of our tributes fared this year and we'll start with the plucky little saplings from District Seven. Celine take it away."_

" _Thank you Lanteia and as always Seven proved to be a model of consistency and determination as Sequoia Sable and Aster Elmore both produced adequate scores. Sequoia pulled down a three while Aster rallied and managed to pull down a five. Neither is necessarily up to the standard we're used to seeing from the district but considering the ages involved it's not that bad a showing."_

Well I'm glad they think this is ok because right now the only thing keeping me from freaking out is the fact that I'd embarrass myself in front of Orchid and Sequoia and despite the situation I'm in making a fool of myself in front of girls is one of the few things I'm just not willing to do. Not yet anyway.

" _Well Seven is certainly in for a struggle this year but we've seen them do more with less before. Let's move on to District Eight shall we?"_

" _Yes well, District Eight is the district most of us have our eyes on given their alliance with the tributes from District One and much like their allies they managed to put on a rather impressive show. Connor McCormick and her partner Archie Razida managed to set the non-career team scoring standard this year as both Connor and Archie pulled down identical scores of six."_

Well, that's a small shock, I really didn't picture the two of them doing that well. Then again they did spend two and a half days training with what would normally be a career district in One so maybe some of their skills and luck rubbed off on them.

" _Now we move to the home of our reigning victor Kimma Reece and that's District Nine. So how did our reigning champ fair in her first year as a mentor?"_

" _Well given the circumstances under which she's working I feel she did rather well as she did manage to snag her female tribute Alden Devaire a score of four, her male tribute, however, fell well short of the respectable goal as Jamie Dexton was only able to manage a score of two."_

Well, that's not really a surprise unless you were one of the people who though Jamie would give us a second consecutive year with a tribute scoring a zero. I mean he's a nice kid but something about him is just a little, off.

" _Well, now we've reached the meat of the tributes so to speak in the forum of the little cowboys and girls of District Ten. So how did our little buckaroos do this time around?"_

" _In short they didn't do too well. Now the male tribute this year is Dargo Avene and he did pretty well for not only a twelve-year-old but also for the recent string of tributes out of his district by pulling down a solid five, his partner, however, was another story entirely. Fern Shelton didn't seem all that confident or comfortable and her performance over the course of training and in her session especially showed it so for the second year in a row we've been forced to hand down the abysmally low score of zero to a tribute."_

Well, I'm sure there are more than a few tributes on some of the floors below me breathing a massive sigh of relief at the sight of that big zero spinning on the screen, not that I or anyone else really expected anything less from Fern. From day one she's been acting like she's living on borrowed time and all this does is reinforce the belief that more than a couple other tributes and I have.

" _Well, this is certainly a shocking turn of events. After nearly two decades without a zero score we've now had two in two years but let's not dwell on history but instead turn our attention to the bright-eyed little fighters from District Eleven."_

" _Yes well as you'd expect Lanteia the bar was set rather low after the previous performance and District Eleven did everything they could not to raise it back up. Both Iliana Alder and her partner Moriah Trace underachieved but for different reasons. Iliana looked uncomfortable a more than a little frightened but still managed to salvage a three out of her less than stellar performance, which is more than can be said of her partner Moriah. Now he looked relatively comfortable but a short temper and a few early setbacks did him in as he only managed to scrounge up a score of one when all was said and done."_

Well, the game makers sure like making the obvious sound surprising. I mean anyone who spent more than five minutes around Moriah would instantly realize that he's got a temper and is completely unwilling to rise above adversity he doesn't think he should have to put up with. Couple that with any kind of small mistake and he's lucky he didn't implode completely and tie Fern at zero.

" _Well that's unfortunate but I hope the little miners in twelve were able to bring up your spirits at the end of things."_

" _Surprisingly they were. Now no one has really expected much out of Twelve over the years and outside of the love story of the century and a surprising win for Onyx a few years back they've mostly stayed true to forum and provided us with a wide array of early and often times spectacularly bloody deaths but this year might be different. Brooke Kolstad and her district partner Brenton Aldair managed to end the session on a relatively high note as they both came away with matching scores of three which for the people at home looking for an underdog to cheer on puts them both smack in the middle of the pack as far as chances go."_

" _Well, it's good you were able to end the session on a relatively positive note after a rather rough patch in the middle. So we have about three minutes left if you have anything else you'd like to bring up about this year's batch of tributes."_

" _No as such because I feel like everything is pretty straight forward. Like any year, we have some great tributes and some awful tributes with a large percentage somewhere in between. If anything I think everyone should be excited about the unpredictability this year could bring. If you enjoyed Kimma's amazing win last year buckle up folks because you haven't seen anything yet."_

" _There you have it straight from the mouth of the expert. Buckle up folks and enjoy the ride. That's all from us at Hunger Games Tonight and I'd like to extend a special thanks to our special guest Celine Minos our wonderful Head Game Maker for taking the time to go over all of this with us, and a super special thank you to everyone watching at home. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"_

It only takes a few seconds for all hell to break loose in the room as both James and Orchid spring into action as their personal phones absolutely explode with calls from every major sponsor and potential sponsor they've spent the last few days courting while Sequoia quietly slips out of the room and makes her way silently towards the stairs. Part of me is almost too stunned to move but another part of me sees this for the advantage it really is. This year is as wide open as any in my lifetime and I fully intend to be the last one standing when all is said and done. I just hope my skills manage to back up my confidence or my stay could be embarrassingly short for such a wide open year.

* * *

 **Jamie Dexton-12(D9M)**

"I really don't think everything went all that bad really. What do you think sis?"

" _I don't understand how you can think everything went good considering the massive mess this just turned into."_

"What do you mean mess? I mean sure things aren't perfect but this is far from a disaster."

" _I'm not sure how you classify a score of two as anything other than a disaster."_

"You heard the announcers it's anybody's game to win and everybody has as good a chance as the next person to win."

" _That's not exactly what they said little brother."_

"Sure it is. The game maker lady said 'If anything I think everyone should be excited about the unpredictability this year could bring. If you enjoyed Kimma's amazing win last year buckle up folks because you haven't seen anything yet'. How can that be a bad thing?"

" _You're choosing to ignore the first part of that statement little brother. Before she said that other stuff she also said 'ike any year, we have some great tributes and some awful tributes with a large percentage somewhere in between'."_

"So?"

" _So even if you are a top tier tribute do you really think being in an alliance with the only tribute to score a zero and two other tributes who scored a three and a four respectively is necessarily a good thing?"_

"It's not going to matter after tomorrow. Tomorrow everyone will finally get to meet Blade and they'll know it's going to be ok. Once they know that Blade is coming to save them everything will be ok."

" _Jamie I still don't think it's a good idea to introduce everyone to Blade during your interview and I really wish you'd reconsider doing it."_

"Why though? Isn't it a good thing to let the other tributes know that a hero is on his way to save them? Shouldn't I tell everyone that he's coming?"

" _It's not that it's just….If everyone knows he's coming the game makers and the president might try to stop him from helping. You wouldn't want to put him and yourself in any kind of danger would you?"_

"Nothing can hurt Blade silly, he's a hero."

" _I know he's a hero but….I just don't want you to get hurt like I did."_

"That was different. If Blade had been around back then that mean man wouldn't have ever tried to hurt you. That's why he came remember, to protect you and mom and me and everyone else from the bad people."

" _I remember and I'm thankful for everything he's done to keep you and mom and me safe from bad people. I just don't want you to lose him before the games start."_

"How would I lose him though?"

" _Remember what Oatis said on the train? That you'd be the only one allowed into the arena and I'd have to stay here with him and Kimma?"_

"I remember."

" _Well he didn't know about Blade at the time, so if you don't tell anyone about him he can come with you into the arena and protect you and everyone else from the bad guys. If you tell them about him though they might make him stay here with Kimma, Oatis, and me instead. You don't want that do you?"_

"So you're saying if I keep Blade a secret he might be able to help me save everyone else?"

" _Exactly."_

"But how do I do that? It's kind of hard to separate myself from Blade, we're the same person after all."

" **You don't have to separate yourself from Blade, you just don't tell the interviewer that you are Blade."**

"I….I think I understand."

" _Good. Also it might be a good idea not to mention me either, I'd hate to get sent home and for you to get in trouble because I tagged along."_

"That's a good idea sis. You always have the best ideas, minus making me paint my nails of course."

" _What are big sisters for? Now enough talking about all this, you have a big day tomorrow and you need your rest so get to bed mister."_

"Ok goodnight Grace, I love you."

" _I love you too kid."_

* * *

 **A/N: Ok, just a quick little note before I go into detail about the chapter. The italics in the first 2 POV's are the T.V. and the ones in Jamie's POV are his sister. I know it's probably self-explanatory but I wanted to give everyone a heads up all the same.**

 **Well this takes us to the end of the scores and means we're now just one chapter away from the start of the games! :D Now I hope to have the interview chapter up by the end of the week and if all goes according to plan I'll post the Bloodbath around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. But enough about plans let's get to the questions :)**

 **1\. What did you think of the scores overall?**

 **2\. Did anyone's score strike you as too high?**

 **3\. Did anyone's score strike you as too low?**

 **4\. Is there anyone you think I absolutely nailed?**

 **5\. Finally based on the scores who do you think has the best chance to win?**

 **Other than that I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are willing to forgive my quick turn around on the update ;) As always please review and let me know what you think and I'll loo forward to seeing you all this weekend for the Interview Update :D**

D1F- Audrie Christison-13

* * *

D1M- Topaz Kayden-12

* * *

D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13

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D2M- Alex Trake-13

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D3F- Quanta Bomm-13

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D3M- Bryn Snowdon-12

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D4F- Iona Harrowell-13

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D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13

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D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13

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D5M- Luell Berring-13

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D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12

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D6M- Aldrin Derino-13

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D7F- Sequoia Sable-12

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D7M- Aster Elmore-13

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D8F- Connor McCormick-13

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D8M- Archie Razida-13

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D9F- Alden Devaire-13

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D9M- Jamie Dexton-12

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D10F- Fern Shelton-13

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D10M- Dargo Avene-12

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D11F- Iliana Alder-13

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D11M- Moriah Trace-12

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D12F- Brooke Kolstad-13

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D12M- Brenton Aldair-13

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7

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5

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8

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6

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5

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4

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6

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8

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5

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3

* * *

4

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7

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3

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5

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6

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6

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4

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2

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0

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5

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3

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1

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3

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3


	17. Slipping Up(Interviews)

**Alex Trake-13(D2M)**

So far I think everything's been going rather well, it's not perfect but at least, nothing's gone wrong so far. I mean I didn't really expect anything less from Antonia and while I'm sure Claudius and Julia might classify the tributes from District One both getting standing ovations as bad I'm not sure I see it the same way. Again it's far from ideal for any of our future opponents to have a good night but considering that District One normally has a good pre-games appearance it's not nearly as bad for them to have another as it's going to be if their allies in Eight have an equally strong showing.

I stare up at the screen above the door where Antonia banters confidently with Lanteia when the small green light above the screen changes to orange and begins to flash slowly but steadily to signal that the interview has entered its final minute. As I stare up at the slowly flashing light I feel a lump start to congeal in my throat as the realization and reality of my impending interview starts to set in on me. I'm not necessarily afraid of the interview so much as I'm afraid of making a mistake during the interview. I mean Hero practiced interview answers almost as much as he practiced anything else during training and he always told me how important it is to appear strong and confident during the interview which is a fact my mentors went out of their way to reiterate at least half a hundred times today alone.

"Thank you, Antonia and good luck tomorrow in the Games. Let's hear it for District Two's Antonia Bismarck!"

I stare transfixed at the screen as Antonia waves confidently to the crowd before being led off by the same female peacekeeper dressed in a lavish gown that had escorted her and Audrie on stage as the well-dressed male peacekeeper whose job is apparently to escort the boys up on stage strides confidently towards me.

"Ok kid let's go."

I'm not sure how I manage to make my feet move but sure enough after maybe a half a second of hesitation I feel myself taking small and unsteady steps forward as I try to think of something confident and reassuring to help me get through the next few minutes. The peacekeeper stops short of the stage and he motions for me to do the same as Lanteia tries to quiet the crowd enough to properly introduce me to everyone.

"Now it's time to meet Antonia's district partner. Ladies and gentlemen let's hear it for Alex Trake!"

I wait for her to finish and as the last syllable of my name slips out I throw my shoulders back and try to infuse as much confidence as I can into my movements as I stride out of stage to a rather warm reception from the Capitol crowd. I offer them a measured but confident wave as Lanteia glides around her seat and wraps me in a strong hug before planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Welcome Alex and thank you for joining us today."

"Thank you for having me."

She smiles down at me before motioning for me to take the seat across from her own and I do after waiting for her to sit down. After all Hero told me it's a rule that a boy should never sit down while a girl's still standing and I'm pretty sure this is is one of the situations where that rule applies. At least I hope it is anyway.

"Well Alex it's a real pleasure to see finally meet you, your partner Antonia told us so much about you and it's nice to put a face to her claims."

"Now I assure you most of what she said is exaggerated ever so slightly."

"Oh, now you've peaked our interest. So do tell what exactly about did she embellish?"

"Now that's something I'm not so sure I should share Lanteia. After all that would take some of the fun out of all this wouldn't it?"

"Come on Alex you can't tease us like this. Why tell us something or a few somethings were embellished if you're not going to tell us what they are?"

"Why to build the mystique around myself of course."

This gets a small chuckle out of the crowd and elicits a rather playful smile from Lanteia that puts me in a state of relaxation I didn't think possible under the immense pressure of an interview like this.

"Well if that was your plane I'd say you more than succeeded. I mean all the things Antonia teased us with and now you pretty much everyone is on the edge of their seats and racking their brains trying to decipher the mystery surrounding District Two this year."

"Well that was the idea, leave the audience wanting more so they have a reason to sponsor us in the games."

"Well the two of you played it to a tee then Alex. Seeing as how you're not willing to talk about yourself then tell us a little more about your allies and opponents this year."

"What would you like to know Lanteia?"

"Well let's start with your alliance. How do you view your allies and their individual strengths?"

"Well, Iona an amazingly confident and diligent tribute. I don't think I've ever seen someone so willing to go out of her way to help others understand what she's trying to teach everyone else. I can't count the number of times she was patient with the rest of us while we bungled through one of her chosen exercises."

"Well with glowing praise like that and the strong and confident recommendation Antonia gave her I can see why the two of you decided to ally with her. Now tell us a bit about your other ally. What's he like?"

"Well, I didn't get to know Aldrin all that well during training because we didn't spend much time training together but based on his training score and the show he put on throwing knives against Lachlan I'm fairly confident in what he brings to the table."

Everyone got super quiet all of the sudden and I'm not sure why. I mean what exactly am I supposed to say about Aldrin if I don't know anything about him other than what I said? All I know for sure about him is that he's decently good with a knife and he was obviously decently impressive in his session as he managed to pull down the second highest overall score and he tied with Audrie in that regard as both of them got a sev….Oh shit did I really say Aldrin?!

"What I meant to say was….Shit!"

"Well, this is a surprisingly important revelation for everyone. Earlier your ally Antonia was talking about Lachlan and his amazing abilities but now you're saying that Aldrin and not Lachlan is the fourth member of your tetrarchy. So I have to ask which of the two is it that's truly a part of your alliance?"

My lord, I sure stepped in this one. I can't believe after managing to avoid giving Lachlan even the slightest indication that we were planning on outing him early I slipped up and gave up the game and in front of the whole nation at that. Antonia is going to kill me when I get back to the suite, not to mention what Iona will do to me if she survives Lachlan's wrath backstage. Man oh man I really screwed this up something fierce. I guess the only thing to do now is try to power through and make it look like this was the plan from the beginning.

"Well obviously this wasn't necessarily the stage I and the others were hoping to use to tell Lachlan we've decided to take the alliance in a different direction but I'm guessing that doesn't matter now does it."

"So you're saying that Aldrin and not Lachlan is, in fact, the fourth member of the career alliance?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Lanteia."

"Well, this is certainly a twist I don't think any of us saw coming. I'd love to get more in-depth with you on this but we're running short of time so I'll save my other questions for Iona and Aldrin and end our interview by giving you a chance to say hello to your friends and family back in Two."

"Thank you for this chance Lanteia. Mom I hope everything's going good and you're not working yourself too hard. Dad I hope you're watching because I'm going to make you proud in the arena, and as for my brother Hero….I hope I can do as good as you would have done. I hope I can make you as proud of me as I am to be your little brother. I love you."

"Well that was very touching Alex and we thank you for sharing that and the monumentally game changing little morsel from earlier. Good luck tomorrow and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Thank you very much Lanteia, and I hope to be talking to you again very soon."

She offers me another polite smile as the buzzer rings out and the peacekeeper returns and quickly leads me off the stage even as his female counterpart flashes into view with the girl from Three in two. Part of me is furious at myself for slipping up with regards to Lachlan but a small part of me is almost glad it happened.

Sure it makes our alliance look a little less pristine than it did before but it was going to happen eventually as we were going to have to cross Lachlan at some point anyway and at least this way it doesn't look like the actions of cowards but that of a determined alliance with the best interests of each other in mind. In the end that's more in line with what the greatest tributes from years past would have done in our situation so it's better this way. At least I hope it is.

* * *

 **Aldrin Derino-13(D6M)**

I still can't believe Alex spilled the beans like that. After all the effort we've put in to keep Lachlan in the dark about everything he went off and let everything spill out in one horrendously stupid moment of honor and stupidity. After his little slip up it took two peacekeepers to keep Lachlan from trying to take me out and if it hadn't been for her quick thinking and reflexes I'm pretty sure he'd have knocked Iona cold with the hook he tried to deliver, at least the dent he left in the wall makes me think he would have.

Iona did manage to afford herself relatively well in her interview as almost every question she ended up with was about Lachlan and 'district unity' when I know full well she'd hoped to avoid those questions and focus more on herself and her family back in Four. The bad part was how calm and under control Lachlan was in his interview. For as angry and wound up as he'd been in the immediate aftermath of Alex's little reveal he was just as calculating and smooth. However despite his attempts to brush off the questions about his personal feelings on what had happened there was something in his eyes that screamed out for revenge. A kind of cold and calculating anger that makes me unease about what he might do next.

After the tension of District Fours interviews I almost fell asleep while Five was going and the only reason I snapped back to reality when Kaleia went up is because for the first time today there was no one in front of me anymore. Once she went on stage I started to try to sort through my thoughts and forum something resembling a coherent response to the questions I know I'm going to be asked.

It's all in vain though as I barely have the time to get my thoughts in order before the buzzer sounds and Kaleia quickly makes her way off the stage while I'm quickly ushered on. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the blinding light and once they do I almost wish they hadn't as the sight of some many people packed into the studio to listen to my interview almost causes me to throw up. However I manage to suppress the urge as I quickly make my way towards Lanteia who's waiting almost patiently for me in the center of the stage.

"Well this is what we've all been waiting for ladies and gentlemen, our next guest is the mystery man himself. Please help me welcome the man, the myth, and the legend give it up for District Six's own Aldrin Derino!"

I offer everyone as confident and warm a smile as I can manage before Lanteia wraps me in a hug and plants a kiss on my cheek. Now I'm not against showing affection or anything I mean I love it when my girlfriend does cute little things like that but something about the way she does it is just unsettling and it takes all my self control not to wipe it off with the sleeve of my suite as I quickly take the seat opposite her.

"Welcome Aldrin welcome. As I'm sure you can imagine everyone's been greatly looking forward to your interview ever since Alex let it slip that you and not Lachlan were now a part of the career alliance. So can you tell us how it feels to be a member of the career alliance and more importantly can you tell us why we're just learning about your inclusion in the alliance now?"

"Well the answer to the first question is of course I'm honored to have been chosen to be a part of the alliance. The career alliance is steeped in history that runs the gambit of the Games themselves. It's incredibly humbling to have been included in such a history rich a grouping as the careers."

"I can only imagine how that would feel, but I did notice that you didn't answer my second question."

"Nothing gets by you does it Lanteia?"

"It's my job to make sure it doesn't hun."

"Well, you're amazingly good at your job then."

"Thank you but flattery isn't going to make the question go away Aldrin."

"I know but I was hoping you'd let me flatter you until the clock ran out. Can't blame a guy for trying can you?"

My lame attempt at humor elicits a few chuckles from the crowd and a wary but approving smile from Lanteia as she shakes her head and giggles along with the audience.

"Unfortunately, we have just a little too much time left and not nearly enough to flatter me about for that to work."

"Well, you've never had me flattering you. Trust me when I say I'm more than capable of finding enough material just based on your beauty."

"Well, you're just going to have to come back and try it after the games won't you?"

"I fully plan to. Now I think your question was why my involvement in the career alliance is just now coming to light correct?"

"It looks like your memory is just as impressive as everything else about you is."

"Now who's trying to flatter whom?"

"Just returning the favor."

"Well thank you, it's not every day a kid from the wrong side of the tracks in Six gets complimented by such an alluringly beautiful women. Anyway the main reason my involvement was a secret was that honestly I was hoping to get one over on Lachlan. I knew from the beginning that he was going to be a force in the Games and I was hoping to use my inclusion and his exclusion from the alliance as a way to get the drop on such an intimidating competitor. Unfortunately it didn't work out the way I'd hoped but it was a calculated risk that everyone was hoping would work out to our advantage."

"Well I can see the advantages of doing it that way but weren't you worried that keeping your allegiances secret could have placed you in a precarious predicament once the Games start?"

"Well that was part of the risk reward we had to factor in and in the end even I decided it was better to keep it quiet until the time was right to announce it to the world."

"I'm not sure I could have taken the same chance if I'd been in your shoes. A lot could have gone wrong if not for Alex letting it slip that you're part of the alliance."

"To be fair a lot can and probably will still go wrong before all is said and done. In the Hunger Games, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected."

"That's a fair point. We have just about a minute left so I'll turn it over to you to say hello to your family and friends back home in Six."

"Thank you but I don't really have anything to say that I haven't already said. Saying it again isn't going to anything other than make me feel better and right now it's better if I'm alert and responsive and that only happens when I'm not relaxed."

"A wise approach. Well thank you for talking with us about your alliance and everything going on with that. I'd wish you luck but after listening to you I'm not sure you need it."

"You can never have enough Luck Lanteia."

"Well, in that case, good luck Aldrin, and I hope I'll be talking to you again soon."

"I do too."

The buzzer sounds literally half a second after I finish talking and I quickly make my way towards the far side even as Sequoia is being led onstage in a flowing green gown that's completely out of character for her to wearing but I bury my concerns at what a future opponent is wearing for her interview as I make my way towards the small booth where Zefram and Kaelia sit waiting for the interviews to be over so all of us can be trotted back out in front of everyone one last time before heading off to the arena tomorrow.

I slide into the booth across from the two of them and take the glass of water being offered by an avox attendant as I settle in and listen with partial interest as Sequoia launches into a rather boring description of the beauty of the forest surrounding her home in District Seven.

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

Well my interview has been an incredibly uncomfortable experience to say the least. Like does this lady really think I care all that much about the motives the careers had for excluding Lachlan and picking up Aldrin? I mean I'd be more than happy to talk about the stupid decision they made to cut Audrie and Topaz out but why in the world would I care why they decided to cut someone else out? I mean the fact I think Lachlan is an asshole might be clouding my judgement a little bit but not nearly enough for me to let her keep asking about him and only him during MY interview.

"Come now Connor I'm sure you have more of an opinion on this than 'oh well it happened' you have to."

"Why would I have a reason to have any more or less of an opinion than that? In reality why they did it is irrelevant because it's done and over with and talking about it isn't going to change that. Now I'm sure it could and probably will affect the Games at some point but right now it's just one more instance of the career districts doing something stupid without thinking about the fallout."

"Well, that seems like a rather pointed opinion. Would you care to expand on that for us Connor?"

"Well I mean they decided to exclude Audrie and Topaz on day one without giving either of them so much as a chance to show what they could do. Now they've got this problem hanging over them heading into the arena and it makes me wonder just how together and prepared for the games to start they really are. To hear them talk each and every one of them is raring to go but I have to wonder how much of that is true and how much of it is just another Lachlan esque smokescreen."

"Now that is the million dollar question isn't it? What do you think?"

"I don't know the truth but I'm sure that they don't either. The way they've been lurching from one issue to another doesn't scream prepared but they do have the highest scoring collection of tributes overall. In reality, I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle of ready and not."

"You're probably right but what about your alliance? How ready are Audrie, Archie, Topaz and you for tomorrow?"

"As ready as we can be. I'd be lying if I told you we were totally and completely ready for the games but we're not exactly unprepared either."

"So how is your situation any different from the one the careers currently find themselves in?"

I was wondering how she was going to connect this to that. I have to give her credit this is as impressive a circle as I've ever been talked in, hell I didn't even realise I was being talked around until it was to late and I'm not sure the crowd realises it at all.

"Honestly, it's not unless you count the fact that we're not necessarily expected to have it all together and they are. I mean they're the careers and we're just their cast-offs and the pair from Eight."

"I don't think I understand exactly what you're trying to say, Connor."

"What I'm saying is in a normal year the careers would be expected to have everything figured out by now and the fact that they don't is shocking to everyone. The thing is they never really have it figured out and the last couple years are proof of that fact. In reality the careers and their alliance is just as crazy and unstable as any other alliance and this year everyone is seeing it unravel before the games even start. If it was any other alliance disintegrating like this you'd be wondering if any of them would even make it past the bloodbath but because it's the careers you're not looking at it like that. It's a little offensive honestly."

"What exactly makes it offensive?"

"Aside from the fact that it's completely unfair to dedicate almost every interview since District Two's to the ramifications and motives behind the decision. It hasn't exactly give any of us a real chance to explain anything about ourselves and our alliances. How are sponsors going to know anything about us if the only questions we get are about the stupid careers?"

"I didn't think of it that way Connor and I'm sorry if you find my questions to be 'unhelpful' to you or your allies. I'll endeavor to dedicate myself to a more even-keeled approach to interviewing your district partner so we can dig a little deeper into your alliance. Will that make up for the 'lack of helpful' questions I asked you?"

Now she's patronizing me. For the love of god why can't she be as serious as she expects us to be? Like seriously how hard would it have been for her to ask me questions about my family and my allies and friends I've made in the Capitol like she did for the first three interviews? Sure what Alex said was big news and it made sense to ask Iona, Lachlan, and Aldrin about it but not Luell, Sequoia, and I. Is she really that dense and ditzy that she thinks that's the only story worth looking at heading into the games or is this part of something bigger that I haven't grasped yet?

"I guess that's as good as I can expect given the 'shocking' nature of what Alex said."

She offers me a curt nod as the buzzer goes off and I quickly rise out of my chair and move towards the star on the floor where she's supposed to be standing to offer the tributes a good luck handshake only she remains firmly planted in her seat with a deadly glare on her face.

I stand there on my mark for a couple of awkward seconds before I'm finally ushered off stage so Archie can take my place and just as I'd expected his welcome is by far the coldest and least inviting one she's handed out today. I mean she's being childish because all I did was ask her to be fair to me and everyone else instead of asking us almost exclusively about an alliance none of the last three tributes has had anything to do with.

As I make my way towards the District Eight booth which is the only relatively empty one in the middle third of the backstage area I receive a couple of appreciative nods from my fellow tributes but from the look on my mentor's face I can tell he doesn't share their respect for what I did on stage. Then again Thomas has never really approved of anything else I've done so why should this be any different? I mean someone had to take a stand for those of us she wasn't giving a fair chance. I just hope my being the one to do it doesn't come back to bite my allies and me.

* * *

 **A/N: Well there you have it everyone, the pre game events have finally concluded and now it's on to the Bloodbath :) Are all of you as excited as I am?**

 **1\. What did you think of the interviews?**

 **2\. What did you think of Alex's little slip up?**

 **3\. How do you think it will affect his alliance?**

 **4\. Finally which tribute is your favorite overall?(Not necessarily to win just in general?)**

 **Also LokiThisIsMadness was kind enough to make a little blog for the story and I've got the link on my profile if anyone is interested in giving it a look but if I were you I'd most definitely check it out because I think it's pretty great myself :)**

 **So I hope to have the bloodbath up sometime early next week and unless something unforeseen comes up I intend to keep to that schedule so look for the bloodbath around Wednesday or so. Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I'll see you all soon for the bloody bloodbath :D**


	18. Countdown to Oblivion(Bloodbath)

**Fern Shelton-13(D10F)**

I can't believe it's almost time, I mean I knew eventually I was going to have to stop thinking about it and actually do it but I hoped I'd be more prepared to do it by now. Then again I doubt anyone is ever ready to do something like this and anyone who says they are is probably lying but I still wish I was a little more prepared to do what I have to do.

Most of the day so far has passed by in a blur and it literally seems like just a few seconds ago I was eating my last Capitol breakfast while Paige and Wren tried to cram as many last-minute tidbits of information as they could into mine and Dargos' heads in the little time they had before the peacekeepers showed up to take us to the arena. Once they arrived everything shifted up another notch and before I could even blink I'd been stuffed inside an incredibly cramped hovercraft that is currently zipping towards the arena and the end of my all too short existence.

"Listen carefully you little punks because I'm only going to say this once. We'll be landing at the arena site shortly and once we do each of you will be escorted by a pair of peacekeepers to your assigned launching stations. Once everyone makes it to their rooms you'll have just under two minutes to get changed into your arena ware before launch. Now to expedite this process we'll be implanting you with your trackers before we land, roll up your sleeve and hold up your right arm and one of the attendants will be around to inject you shortly."

I cautiously roll my sleeve up and stick my arm out as a white-clad woman quickly makes her way down the row of girls starting with District One in the front. By the time she makes it to me I can tell she's agitated as more than a couple of the girls before me flinched or pulled away at the sight of the needle and she had to completely redo the girl from Nine because she tried to wrenched her arm away and snapped her needle off before the attendant had finished injecting her tracker.

"Hold out your arm and don't move it. I'm not in the mood to reprogram another one of these stupid things today so I'll have one of the peacekeepers hold you still if I need to."

"I don't think that'll be necessary. I've been on the giving and receiving end of enough needles that I doubt I'll be a problem for you."

She offers me a skeptical look but quickly slips the needle into my arm and presses the plunger down and removes it without so much as a whimper from me. She sets the needle back in its spot on the tray she's pushing and offers me a pleased smile as she moves down a few feet and repeats the same stern warning she just gave me to the girl from Eleven. To her credit Iliana doesn't jerk away but she does let out a small whimper as the lady jerks the needle out. Again she doesn't actually flinch or anything like that but as the attendant moves on towards her last injection I'm almost sure I see the faint outline of tears rolling down her face as she clutches her forearm to her chest.

"We'll be landing in just under a minute. Once we're on the matt unbuckle your harnesses and stay in a single file line as you file out the back of the craft. Once everyone has disembarked your assigned peacekeepers will find and escort you to your launch rooms."

I do my best to push the doubts currently buzzing through my head away as my stomach is suddenly thrown into my throat as the hovercraft lurches to the left as it begins its descent. A few seconds later we're on the ground and the ramp slowly slides down as a soft clicking sound from the mechanical connector holding my harness in place lets me know I'm free to remove it. I slip out with relative ease but my legs are still a little wobbly and all it takes is a gentle bump from the girl behind me to knock me off balance and send me tumbling into Iliana.

"Be careful Fern I'd prefer not to hurt myself before the Games actually start."

"Sorry, Iliana I just lost my balance."

She offers me a small smile as she quickly follows the girl from Twelve down the ramp with me just a few steps behind. My first sight of the arena is just a massive concrete and steel shell towering over everyone as I exit the hovercraft and for a few seconds all I can do is marvel at the massive structure sitting imposingly before me. I'm so amazed by it that I stop moving and it takes a gentle tap on my shoulder from the girl behind me to snap me out of my trance-like state and get my feet moving in the right direction again.

A few seconds later the last of the tributes makes their way off the craft and the ramp quickly rises up and locks into place with a resounding thud that almost sounds like the cannons that the game makers use to signal the death of a tribute in the arena. I don't get much of a chance to dwell on that however as no sooner has the ramp closed then a steady stream of peacekeepers start to pour out of the arena towards us and within a few seconds a pair flank each and every one of us as we start to slowly make our way towards the entrance.

I don't really remember what happens next as I quickly find myself lost and disoriented as my individual escorts lead me down a series of interconnected halls and more than one lift before finally stopping in front of a large metal door with a massive white copy of my district seal in the center and my name on a small placard above it. Forcing myself to swallow the massive lump building up in my throat I cautiously move towards the door that swings open as I approach to reveal a small room where my stylist Calpurnia sits fussing over the whitish tan linen outfit I'm supposed to wear into the arena.

"Why they always decide to go with such light colors I'll never understand. The rich red outfits they had last year were so much more appealing than these boring ones."

Somehow despite the noise the door made when it opened she hasn't noticed me and while I do find her musings interesting I've only got a short time before I have to be ready to go and I'd rather not end up rushed for time in my final moments.

"If it's any consolation, at least, you won't have to wear it Calpurnia. Though I do think the white would really bring out the soft blue color of your eyes."

"Thank you, dear, that's very kind of you to say but we have business to attend to so let's get it over with. Go put this….Thing on and I'll try my best to make you look presentable before you go."

She hands me the tunic and a pair of matching pants with a cloth belt and a pair of soft leather shoes with a pair of socks before leading me around the corner of a small portable divider and motioning for me to get dressed as she quietly slips back around and into the room proper. It only takes me a second to slip into my cloths and despite their relatively flimsy appearance, they do seem to be incredibly comfortable and allow for a wide range of movement. It's not going to do me a whole lot of good but someone is going to benefit from them I'm sure.

"So how do I look?"

"My stars Fern you've managed to make that bland old thing look absolutely radiant. I just wish I had time to fix your hair up a little."

" _Forty-Five seconds to launch. All tributes please proceed to your launch tubes immediately."_

The announcement catches me a little off guard and before I know what's happening I'm shaking like a leaf and using every ounce of my resolve not to hurl all over the floor as Calpurnia warps me in a warm and reassuring hug before taking my hand gently in hers and leading me up the small stone steps to my tube.

"I know you can do this Fern, just remember what you learned and you'll pull through this just fine. Be brave Fern and I know I'll see you again."

"Th….Thank you, Calpurnia. I'll….I'll do my best."

She offers me one more reassuring smile as my tube rotates around and leaves me with a stunning view of the wall before a small jerk signals the beginning of my ascent. After a few seconds, the bottom of my plate passes beyond the room and I'm submerged in darkness as the only sound is my breathing and the steady hum of the plate. After a few seconds surrounded by the darkness of the tunnel, my eyes are assaulted by a blinding light as my head crests over the edge of the tunnel and into the oppressive heat of the arena.

* * *

 **Celine Minos(Head Game Maker)**

I have to say I'm incredibly impressed with the amazing job my team did with the arena this year, and not to pat myself on the back but I'm incredibly pleased with how I was able to guide them in bringing my vision to life. Everything from the layout of the valley to the locations and shapes of the tombs is absolutely perfect, hell they even did an amazing job bringing the intricate artwork on the walls to life, but the tributes haven't had a chance to see those yet. No, right now I have twenty-four incredibly scared and unbalanced looking tributes staring out at the emptiness of the central valley floor with only the cornucopia and the rising walls of the wadi to keep them company, that and the oppressive heat that is.

"Gregor, what's the current temperature on the valley floor?"

"The current temperature on the floor is ninety-eight point seven degrees Fahrenheit ma'am."

"Raise it up to one hundred even and level it off. Centaura what's the current wind speed and direction?"

"The speed is two point three miles per hour out of the southwest ma'am."

"Drop it to two even and adjust direction out of the southeast."

A small burst of activity accompanies my orders and within seconds the small readout on my pad tells me the temperature has risen and leveled off while the video feed confirms that the wind has successfully shifted directions as the dust is now rising and flowing from the appropriate direction."

"Fantastic job everyone, now we get to sit back and enjoy the show. Tiberius, would you kindly start the countdown please?"

"Of course, ma'am. Sixty….Fifty-Nine….Fifty-Eight….Fifty-Seven….Fifty-Six…."

For the first time in my four years as head game maker, nothing serious has gone wrong. Sure there was the incident with the District Nine girls tracker being destroyed and having to remote program another but if that's the most annoying thing I have to put up with this year then I'm going to be an incredibly happy woman.

"Twenty One….Twenty….Nineteen….Eighteen….Seventeen….Sixteen…."

I turn my attention away from the screen and back to my control pad just before he reaches fifteen only to have my attention immediately recaptured as a chorus of alarms rings out and a massive cloud of dust rises up in the arena.

"Gregor what the hell just happened?"

"We had a premature jumper and they set off their mine."

"That doesn't explain all the alarms though. When we ran the simulations for a jumper none of this was going on. What the hell are all these alarms about?"

Well we do have one other potentially major problem."

"Would you care to enlighten me on this problem?"

"Well it doesn't look like the sand is absorbing the shock wave as effectively as we'd hoped and some of the surrounding mines have been triggered."

"What the hell do you mean, how in the hell were they triggered?!"

"The shockwave has triggered the proximity sensors on the surrounding mines and they've started counting down to detonation. Estimate one minute to detonation."

"Shut the fucking mines off then Gregor."

"I'm trying but the built-in override isn't working for all the mines. It looks like the closest to the blast zone were damaged and their remote transponders aren't responding. There's no way short of manually turning them off to shut them down with the transponder."

"Tiberius, blow the horn and start the games. Gregor, I don't care what you have to do but get me control of those mines and shut them off or Tyranna will have both our heads."

A flurry of panicked activity accompanies my newest set of orders as several of the tributes in the immediate area of the blast begin to stumble around with a dazed and disoriented look in their eyes as the other tributes take off in a mad dash for the supplies strewn in and around the cornucopia.

"Ma'am I've managed to bounce the signal off the adjacent mines and shut the rogue ones down. They're going to be useless as weapons in the arena but they're not going to blow up during the bloodbath either."

"Good work Gregor, now let's see if we can salvage a decent bloodbath out of this debacle of a start, and Centaura."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"The next time I have a good feeling about how well everything is going, slap me."

* * *

 **Kaelia Blitzen-12(D6F)**

I'm not exactly what sure happened but I know it can't be a good thing. One second I'm scanning the area trying to find any supplies close enough for me to grab without having to leave myself exposed while trying to find all of my allies when all of a sudden an ear-splitting noise brings me to my knees while a massive cloud of dust quickly enveloped everything and brings tears to my eyes. By the time everything clears out I can see maybe three tributes streaking towards the cornucopia while most of the others are just trying to shake the cobwebs out and make some sort of sense out of whatever it is that just happened.

Realizing that this might be my one and only chance to score some halfway decent supplies I decide to throw caution to the wind and take off as fast as I can manage towards the bounty spilling out of the front of the cornucopia. Fortunately, I'm able to avoid running into any other tributes on my way and while I don't risk moving fully into the cornucopia where the other tributes I saw running have to be rummaging through the best of the supplies I do manage to scoop up a small backpack and a sack of apples along with a small wooden club before most of the other tributes come to their senses and start breaking towards the supplies or off into the rocky outcroppings that surround the starting area.

"Well this will have to do, now where in the hell are my allies?"

I quickly scan the area but I can't seem to find them and for a moment I'm worried that they might have already left but out of the corner of my eye I manage to catch sight of Sequoia standing over a prone figure that I assume is either Jamie or Fern so I take off towards her as fast as I can without losing any of my precious supplies or attracting the attention of an opportunistic enemy.

Being careful does slow me down though and by the time I finally reach Sequoia and what does turn out to be Jamie I'm out of breath and sweating profusely but I still manage to muster enough energy to try to figure out what's going on.

"W….What….What's wrong with Jamie?"

I stare at them and after neither of them answers me I get a little impatient and ask again and after my second query goes unanswered I lose my temper and grab Jamie off the ground and try to shake some sense into him.

"SNAP OUT OF IT JAMIE! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO HAVE A BREAKDOWN SO YOU NEED TO PULL IT TOGETHER. NOW HAVE EITHER OF YOU SEEN FERN?"

He looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes as he manages to point meekly towards the blackened earth surrounding one of the launching plates. It takes me a second to put everything together but after taking a second to think about what he's telling me it dawns on me what the noise and sudden dust storm before the start actually were.

"Are you saying Fern….Fern stepped off her plate early?"

Jamie tries to answer but all he can manage is to squeak meekly before bursting into tears and collapsing back to the ground in a heap. Realizing I'm not going to get much more out of him at this point I turn back to Sequoia and grab her by the shoulder and pull her face within a couple of inches of my own.

"Did Fern step off her plate early?"

"Ye….I think so. I was….I wasn't really focusing on her when it happened but if I had to guess I'd say that's what happened."

"Why would she do that?"

"I….I don't know. Maybe the stress got to her or something….I just can't imagine why she'd do something like that."

"We'll have to figure it out later. What happened to Jamie?"

"Apparently he was looking at her and her at him when she stepped off the plate. By the time the dust cleared he was already over here sobbing into the ground. I've tried to get him up but nothing seems to be working. We can't leave him here Kaelia, he'll die."

"If we stay we'll die too."

"We can't leave him. Maybe you can convince him to move?"

I can't believe we're wasting time like this. I understand he's got to be feeling awful right now but he's going to feel a whole lot worse if someone comes along and kills us while he's having a mental breakdown, but I guess I can try to get him moving.

"Jamie I know this is hard but we have to get moving or we're going to end up dead like Fern."

"I could have saved her….If she'd have just believed in me I could have saved her too….Why wouldn't she let Blade save her?"

"It doesn't matter why it only matters that she's gone and we will be too if we don't get the hell out of here so come on."

I pull him back to his feet but the look on his face is one of pure despair and despite my affection for him I know he's beyond saving at this point. I take my hands off his shoulders and he immediately collapses back on the ground with a thud as a fresh stream of tears breaks through his defenses and streams down his face and off his chin before seeping into the ground below.

"We can't save him Sequoia but we can save ourselves."

"You want to leave him here to die?"

"No I don't want to leave him but at this point, there's nothing else we can do. I can't carry him and neither can you so it's either him or the supplies and we're not going to survive long in the arena with no supplies and a useless ally so the decision is pretty clear."

"We can't leave him Kaelia, we just can't do that."

"We don't have a choice Sequoia because if we stay here we'll die. Now come on we have to go!"

She turns towards me and with a remorseful but angry look in her eyes stares me down for a few seconds before turning her attention back towards Jamie.

"Come on Jamie it's going to be ok. We have to go now but I promise everything will be ok. Can you get up for me please, can you do that Jamie?"

Turning my gaze away from the two of them I fight back a stream of tears as I lower my head and take off down one of the paths that appears to lead deeper into the valley. I don't look back because I know if I do I'll turn around and all that'll do is get me killed and despite the love I have for Jamie and Sequoia I'm not willing to die so he can work through his emotional breakdown and she can protect him.

I run for everything I'm worth and at some point I'm pretty sure I veer slightly to the right turns out to be a massive mistake as the path suddenly ends in a massive rock face with no way to climb up and no other paths to follow.

Silently cursing myself for picking the one path that ends in a dead-end I frantically search for a way out when a small opening in the rocks catches my eye. I cautiously adjust my grip on my club and drop my supplies on the ground at my feet as I cautiously peer into the eerie darkness of the tunnel.

"Terrific I can take my chances with the dark and scary cave or I double back and hope I don't run into anyone else trying to escape the bloodbath."

For a moment, I consider heading back the way I came but a soul shattering screech from behind me quickly puts any thoughts of doing so to rest as I utter a few more silent curse words before gathering up my stuff and taking a deep breath before making my way into the darkened tunnel.

* * *

 **Lachlan Melbourne-13(D4M)**

I need to get out of here while I still have a bloody chance. I mean I got lucky enough that whatever happened a little while ago was enough to give me a chance to raid the cornucopia and get some decent supplies and score a sick looking spear with a bronze head but I'm not stupid enough to press my luck much further. After all, I know for a fact that Antonia and her loser alliance is looking to take me out and I'm sure more than one of these other idiots might be willing to take a chance at toppling the future victor in the confusion and chaos surrounding the bloodbath.

Throwing my duffel bag full of supplies over my opposite shoulder and adjusting the grip on my spear I start to feverishly scan the area for an escape route but I'm unable to come up with anything promising that doesn't require me to fight through a gaggle of other tributes. For a moment, I'm almost sure I'm going to have to kill my way through a mess to escape until I happen to see a semi-promising way blocked by what looks like the girl from Seven and another tribute I can't quite make out from my current position. Deciding that the girl and the mystery tribute are a safer bet than any of the others and desperately wanting to avoid waiting for someone who wants to kill me to find me I take off at a sprint across the sandy ground towards the two of them and the exit they're blocking.

I make it maybe halfway to them before the girl looks up and begins frantically tapping on the other tributes shoulder before letting out a blood curling scream as she desperately tries to get the other tribute to stand up and notice my approach. Acting on instinct I cock my arm back and send my spear sailing through the air where it buries itself snugly in the little screamers throat and almost instantaneously puts an end to her howling. The sudden silence of their partner causes the other tribute to force themselves to their knees where I'm relieved to see the bloodshot eyes and terrified face of the boy from Nine looking towards me.

"Well, this worked out better than I could have hoped it would."

My fears of the other tribute alleviated I lower my head and charge towards his semi-prone forum and with a fury I didn't know I possessed I deliver a savage kick to his face that sends him sailing even as a trail of blood rains dots the sand between us. Taking advantage of the moment I tear my spear out of the girl's throat and bring its tip to bear a few inches above the shattered remains of his face.

"I'm sorry kid."

He looks up at me in an almost pleading manner as I drive my spear into the center of his forehead and split his face in two. I watch for a second as the life leaves his eyes before pulling my spear free and darting down the path he and his friend had been blocking just moments ago.

I take off down the path but after a few hundred yards I come to a fork and I'm forced to stop momentarily and consider my options. To my left I can't really see anything of value while to my right I can easily make out a steep cliff that seems to tower over the area below in an imposing manner. I realize that going left might end up being a terrible idea but it's better then going right when I know I'm going to have to turn around long before I have any sort of legitimate chance to find a safe place to hide and plan so I go left. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a mistake; after all, future victors don't make mistakes. Then again with my recent string of good luck, it's not like I really have anything to worry about.

* * *

 **Antonia Bismarck-13(D2F)**

I can't believe I let that snake get away. I had him in my sights while he was standing over the boy from Nine but I didn't have a weapon yet and by the time I found one in the cornucopia he was already gone. Not only did he manage to get supplies and a weapon but now he's loose in the arena and I'm not sure how we're going to catch him or how we're going to deal with him if we do. I mean how can this crappy day get any worse?

Luckily I don't have to wait as long for an answer to that question as I'll have to for answers to the many unanswered ones I have about Lachlan because no sooner have I finished asking myself the damn question then a small figure comes barreling into me like a small train and sends me sprawling to the ground. However I luck out a little as whoever ran into me ends up in the same boat as I distinctly hear a separate second thud a few seconds after I hit the ground. Moving as fast as I can I manage to scramble back to my feet just as the terrified looking girl from Eleven is trying to collect the last few pieces of food she'd dropped when she ran into me.

"I think that food belongs to the careers Iliana."

She seems legitimately shocked that I know her name but not as shocked as I am when she drops the food and lunges at me with an unhinged look in her eye. For a moment I'm almost too stunned to act and in that time she manages to wrap her hands around my throat and starts to squeeze as hard and tight as she can. By the time I realize just how much trouble I'm really in the corner of my vision is already starting to go dark as every second becomes just as much a fight to stay alive as much as it is to breath. I start to flail my hands about uselessly but it's all in vain as each attempt to dislodge her only hastens my demise as my flailing continues to consume my rapidly dwindling supply of precious oxygen.

For a moment I'm all but certain I'm going to die until my hand runs across something solid and in a desperate attempt to save my own life I wrap my hand around it and bring it crashing into the side of Iliana's head and she finally releases her hold long enough for me to steal a few precious breaths. Almost immediately a small amount of light returns to my vision and I'm able to see my knife resting on the ground just a few feet away. Mustering all the strength I have I bring my free hand crashing into Iliana's nose before bucking her off me and scrambling towards my discarded weapon.

Wrapping my hands around the cold steel of the handle I tighten my grip before forcing myself back to my feet and try to shake the last vestiges of darkness from my vision long enough to line up a shot on a rapidly escaping Iliana.

"You're not getting away that easily."

I rear back and chuck the knife with all my might then stand and watch as it sails through the air before striking her right in the center of the back. No sooner has the blade struck home then her knees buckle and she goes tumbling to the ground in a heap. I quickly make my way over to her and find that unfortunately she's still breathing, a part of me had hoped my throw would have struck something vital and saved me the pain of having to look in her eyes as I ended her life but given my less than stellar vision and the fact that I hurried the throw I'm lucky I hit her at all.

I wrap my hand around the hilt of my blade and pull it out of her back before slipping my foot under her chest and flipping her over on her back so I can look into the eyes of the person I'm about to execute. I may not really know her but she's dying in the Hunger Games so at the very least she deserves to look me in the eye before I finish her off and I in hers before I do the deed. After all, that's the right and honorable thing to do, looking someone in the eye before you kill them like this.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Iliana I really am. But if I don't finish you you'll just be one more person I have to go through later to go home."

She looks up at me with fear and desperation in her eyes and for the briefest of seconds; I don't think I have it in me to kill someone so helpless. However this is the Hunger Games and if I let my sympathy get in the way of doing what I have to do for my district and my country I'm liable to get myself killed by someone without my sense of honor and duty so I banish my thoughts of hesitation from my mind as I place my foot on her throat and apply my full weight to it until I'm rewarded with the sickening crack of her neck snapping and I can finally remove my foot.

Taking one last sorrowful look at her corpse I turn my attention back to the bloodbath only to find that it's pretty much over. Off near the mouth of the cornucopia I see what I'm pretty sure is Iona driving a sword into the gut of the girl from Five while the boy from Seven sprints away with a small bag and a hatchet. Meanwhile off to my left near one of the cliff faces Aldrin is ripping the boy from Eleven away from Alex and expertly cutting his throat with a calm demeanor that's utterly out-of-place in the chaos of the games. After he finishes slitting the boys' throat he simply and almost casually tosses his body aside before slipping his blood soaked knife through his belt and pulling Alex back to his feet with surprising ease.

Taking a moment to survey the area I can't help but feel that despite everything that's gone wrong so far this is somehow a relatively decent achievement. I mean sur Lachlan used the explosion to escape and so did a fair amount of other tributes who otherwise would have ended up dead but at least none of the careers died. Not only did we all make it through but we managed to secure the extremely valuable cornucopia and all the valuable supplies stored within and while Lachlan and a few others did manage to make off with a fair bit of the choice supplies we still managed to pull in the lion share so at the very least we're starting out with a small advantage. That's not to say things couldn't have gone a whole hell of a lot better but they certainly could have gone a lot worse too so in the end maybe today hasn't been the disaster I thought it would be, not yet anyway.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this takes care of the bloodbath and I hope it was worth the long slog it took to get here. I'd also like to apologise for not posting this yesterday but I ran into a little problem and had to rewrite a decent chunk of the story to get it right so I hope everyone will excuse my tardiness in posting.**

 **1\. Which death was the most surprising?**

 **2\. What did you think of Fern's decision to kill herself?**

 **3\. What did you think of what we've seen of the arena?**

 **4\. What do you think the arena is?**

 **So this will be the only update I get out this week as I'm going camping after work Friday and I won't be back until Monday morning but I do plan to work on the next update before I go with the intent of posting it early next week after I get back. Other then that as always please review and let me know what you think and I'll be seeing everyone at the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by Lachlan

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by Lachlan

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by Antonia

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by Iona

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by Aldrin

 **Kill Total**

2- Lachlan

1- Antonia

1- Aldrin

1- Iona

1- Fern(Suicide)


	19. Internal Struggles(Day 1 Part 2)

**Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)**

I can't believe I just killed someone, I mean I knew coming in it was a possibility that I'd have to do it eventually but I was kind of hoping I'd be able to put it off for a little longer than I did. Sure I could have let the girl from Five escape with her ally but a part of me knows that would have been the absolute wrong thing to do even though my insides were screaming at me to do it. I wonder if everyone feels this guilty after their first kill in the Games?

"Is Alex going to be ok Aldrin?"

"It doesn't look good right now but once we get him out of the sun and clean the cut off it might not look as bad as it does now."

This is the first time I've heard of anything being wrong with Alex, then again I've spent most of the last few minutes staring down at the seeping gash I made in my kill and wondering how much it hurt when she died so there's a good chance I may have just missed them mentioning it. However I'm pretty sure I'd remember something that important so I'm not sure if they did mention it or if this is the first time whatever happened is being brought up. Regardless I'd better go see if there's anything I can do or at the very least play the concerned ally card, after all Joyce seems to think playing that angel up is my best bet to woo sponsors so I might as well start early.

I bend down and close the still open eyes of my first kill before offering a small apology for cutting her life so tragically short before using the unsoiled excess fabric from her arena gear to wipe the blood off my blade before slipping it snuggle between my belt and my waist and quickly trotting towards the cornucopia where Aldrin and Antonia stand in front of a very pale looking Alex who's currently slumped against a small box near the mouth.

"Hey is everything ok guys?"

Antonia and Aldrin quickly exchange worried glances before he motions for me to follow while she crouches down in front of her district partner and tries to wipe the increasingly noticeable sweat off his forehead. I look on in concern for a few seconds before a soft whistle snaps me out of my daze and I go trotting off around the corner where a very concerned and apprehensive Aldrin waits for me near the tail.

"Is everything ok Aldrin? You look like you've just seen a ghost or something."

"It's not a ghost but….It's….It's almost as bad I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how it happened but it looks like Alex got hurt fighting with the boy from Eleven. He didn't look good when I pulled him off but I just chalked it up to fatigue and carried on, but now it looks like it might be something serious."

"What might be serious? You're going to have to tell me everything so I know what's going on Aldrin."

"Well it looks like when Alex and the other boy were fighting he might have cut himself on a rock or something, his back was covered in blood but Antonia and I didn't notice it until he threw up and almost face planted in it a few minutes ago."

"How is he already throwing up if it's just one cut?"

"Well I'm not an expert but if I had to guess I'd say it's probably got a lot to do with the heat. Antonia made it pretty clear that it's never this hot back in Two so there's a good chance the environment is making him seem worse than he otherwise might be."

Well this isn't good news at all, sure it might have been a pipe dream for everyone in my alliance to come through the bloodbath untouched but I don't think any of us is really prepared for something like this. I mean eventually every one of us is going to face that sink or swim moment where our lives are on the line but much like my first kill I, was kind of hoping it would come at a much later time.

"You told Antonia you though he'd be ok if we cleaned the wound."

"That was more for him than anyone else. In reality, I doubt he's going to recover and I'm honestly not sure we should even try to help him."

"What do you mean we shouldn't try and help him?"

"We don't know how bad he is or how long it'll take for him to recover if he even can. Helping him only wastes what little supplies might be left in the cornucopia and even though I'm not entirely sure I'm pretty sure there's not going to be a whole lot of opportunities to replace them naturally."

"That doesn't mean we should just let him die. He's our ally so we owe it to him to at least try."

"Look I'm not exactly keen on this idea either but it's something we need to consider."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this, there's no way I'm going to entertain this nonsense for you, Aldrin."

"It's not nonsense Iona it's just practical. You don't have to like it but in the end, we've only got one chance to survive and any supplies we waste trying to save Alex are just that, wasted."

"We haven't even looked at what we have in the way of supplies and you're already lecturing me on the importance of proper conservation."

"Ok, first of all, YOU haven't looked through the supplies but Antonia and I have. Second I'm not lecturing I'm just reiterating the basic stuff Tal spent three days drilling into our heads during training."

"It still doesn't feel right, though."

"It's not about doing what feels right, it's about doing what's best for the group."

"Why are you telling me all this Aldrin? More importantly, why are you telling this to me in private?"

"Because I'm going to need your help convincing Antonia to cut him loose."

"You need me to help you do what?"

"I need your help to convince Antonia that we can't save Alex. She's not going to bend on this unless both of us are on the same side, she's not the kind of person to abandon or kill someone if she's not in danger."

"Ok, I see two problems with all this. Number one what makes you think Antonia's going to change her mind on this just because the two of us want her too? Number two how the hell do you expect me to sell her on this if I don't even like the idea? If there's one thing I'm not good at it's manipulating people to do something I'm unwilling to do myself."

"Good questions and the simple answer to the first one is I don't. Honestly I can't say for sure that Antonia is going to be more willing to bend her morals on this issue just because both of us think it's a good idea but I can almost guarantee she won't if the two of us are divided. In the end I'm counting on her pragmatic qualities to overpower her more self-righteous ones."

"That's an awfully big risk to take with someone who spent most of her interview talking about how hard she tries to embody the virtuous qualities her peacekeeper older brother so eloquently displays."

"Everything about this is a risk Iona but it's a risk we have to take."

"Fair enough but you still haven't answered my second question. How the hell do you expect me to sell her on this if I don't believe in it?"

"That's simple, you'll do it because you have to."

"I'll do it because I have to?"

"Pretty much."

"Ok, how in the world did you come to that conclusion?"

"It's not that hard to tell you've survived some difficult things in your life Iona and I'm sure in the course of those struggles you've probably had to do at least one thing you didn't want to in order to do it. This isn't any different from anything else, you just have to be willing to do what's necessary to save yourself."

* * *

 **Archie Razida-13(D8M)**

I've never been so hot in my entire life, I mean it can get pretty bad on the factory floor around all those machines but this makes that seem almost enjoyable. Seriously this might be the most oppressively ridiculous heat I've ever experienced, then again I am still relatively young so I'll have plenty of chances to top this, provided I survive the Games anyway.

It seems like we've been running off and on for hours but in reality, I'm pretty sure it's been maybe fifteen minutes since we escaped the bloodbath and I have to say it looks like we did pretty good for ourselves all things considered. Topaz and I managed to grab a couple of things from the peripheral while Connor and Audrie took the big risk of going after choice supplies and came away with two pretty impressive looking duffel bags each and while we haven't taken the time to look at anything we picked up I'm hopeful we'll end up with at least a few decent things.

We run for a few more minutes before Topaz drops to a knee and wretches all over the sandy ground and it's only after he tries to get back up and continue on but quickly loses his balance and falls flat on his face that Audrie and Connor decide that it might be a good time to take a small breather.

"Topaz are you going to be able to walk?"

"I….I….Hope so Aud….Aud…."

"He's in no shape to continue and honestly I'm not doing much better. I guess you two girls are in better shape than we are."

Connor offers me a small smile but Audrie isn't nearly as amused at my joke and it takes a gentle elbowing that I probably wasn't meant to see to get her to crack an incredibly forced smile before turning her attention to the barren landscape stretching out around us.

"We need to find someplace to lay low and get out of the sun. We'll sweat ourselves to death if we stay out in this heat for much longer."

"Well unless you guys scored a shelter in the cornucopia I'm not exactly sure what we're supposed to do."

"Archie don't be a smart-ass, she's just thinking out loud."

"I'm not trying to be a smart-ass but it's a little late to be worried about shelter and the like after running off like we did without taking the time to look where we were going. Again unless you or Audrie were paying closer attention from your position a couple hundred yards in front then we're kind of screwed because Topaz and I were a little more concerned with keeping up than memorizing our route."

"Connor and I took all the risks earlier and all you can do now is complain about it. What exactly do you have to be so uppity about Archie?"

"I'm not being uppity I'm just stating facts. You and Connor were so far ahead that Topaz and I spent most of our time and all of our energy just trying to keep one of you in sight. With that being said it was next to impossible for us to have even attempted to keep track of where we ran or when and what direction we turned while the two of you were leading us into the godforsaken landscape."

I think Audrie might have taken exception to my remarks as she spun around and within a few seconds she's got her nose pressed up against mine in what I assume is meant to be an intimidating manner as she tries to stare me down. The only problem is the only thing intimidating to me is the fact that despite the appearance that she was running so effortlessly her face is currently twice as sweaty as mine and more than a couple of beads of her distinctly salty perspiration has found a way off her and into my eyes. Luckily Connor picks now to insert herself into our little squabble as she manages to pry us apart without either of us taking a swing at her or each other.

"I think it might be a good idea for Archie and I to see if there's anything further down this trail that we can use. Audrie why don't you check the supplies and see if we have any water for Topaz and we'll be back in a few minutes."

I can tell by the look on her face Audrie's not happy to have Connor taking charge but after a few tense seconds she finally nods her head and quickly slips back towards her district partner while Connor fetches a pair of small knives from one of the bags and hands me one before slipping the second one into her pocket tossing the bag towards the other two and motioning for me to follow.

We make it a couple hundred feet down the path before she pulls me aside and slaps me on the back of the head in a forceful yet surprisingly nonthreatening way.

"What the hell are you trying to do back there pick a fight with Audrie?"

"Since when is disagreeing with someone considered fighting?"

"That was far beyond a disagreement Archie it was borderline goading. You need to remember how important she is to keeping us alive and how dangerous she is before you pull stupid stunts like that."

"I wasn't trying to start a fight and I'm also well aware of how important and dangerous she is."

"Then I shouldn't have to remind you, Archie. I took a major risk inviting you into this alliance so you need to be more careful about what you say."

"What do you mean you took a risk including me? If I recall I had to talk and prove my way into the alliance anyway so it's not like your help was all that impactful in the first place."

"You didn't have to prove anything to get into the alliance Archie that was just for her to see what you could do with your back against the wall. I'd already secured your spot in the alliance long before she and I even approached you with the idea of working together."

"Then what exactly was this risk you took by inviting me to join the alliance?"

"I took a chance that you'd be able to control your attitude enough that it wouldn't jeopardize the alliance in its infancy. I took a chance by including you at all when I could have easily left you out in the cold and allied with Topaz and Audrie alone. Don't think for a second that I didn't take a hell of a chance by inviting you in."

"Why the hell do you feel the need to tell me all of this now? I said I wasn't trying to start a fight and that I'm sorry if it seemed like I was. All you had to do was tell me to be more careful in the future and that would have been it but for some stupid reason, you felt the need to remind me, multiple times I might add, about my every little flaw. Trust me I know my flaws and I don't need to be reminded of them every time I slip up and make a mistake!"

I probably shouldn't have shouted that last part but it's so infuriating to have to be constantly reminded of my shortcomings by someone who's supposed to be my friend. I know she's not really my friend and that there's a somewhat decent chance that the two of us end up as enemies at some point but for now we're supposed to be allies and I'm pretty sure allies aren't supposed to tear each other down like this.

"Archie I….I shouldn't have said what I said and I'm sorry if I…."

"It's fine Connor. Let's just see what the hell's at the end of the path and get back to the others."

We continue on in an awkward silence and after a few minutes, we make it to the end of the path and come face to face with an almost sheer rock face with absolutely no way up and no way around. It looks like a dead-end and we're about to turn around when a small opening catches my eye and I decide to take a closer look.

"Archie what are you doing?"

"I think there's something over there."

I point to the opening as I cautiously approach it, pulling my knife out of my belt as I go. Once I get close I can see it's not a natural opening or at least I don't think it is and while the darkness makes it hard to see very far inside I think I see the faint outlines of what might be pictures a little farther in. I take a peek over my shoulder and move to head inside when a firm hand on my shoulder stops me cold as Connor pulls me back a few feet before spinning me around.

"I don't think you should go in there."

"Why not? We're going to have to have to see what's inside eventually so I might as well do it now."

"I think we should go get Topaz and Audrie first. There's probably matches somewhere among our supplies and it'll be much safer to explore this with light. Besides at the very least, it offers us a place to get out of the sun and we need to get Topaz in the shade before he dehydrates."

A part of me knows she's right but another part of me can't help but want to look around inside a little before we go back. I mean I'm not sure what this is but it looks absolutely amazing and I can't help but wonder what's hiding inside just waiting to be found. However I can tell Connor's not going to take no for an answer and seeing as how I'd rather not fight with her again I offer a reluctant nod of affirmation before driving my knife partially into the sand in front of the opening as a crude kind of marker for us to use to find our way back. After all, I'd be a damn shame for us to lose our new little hidey hole before I have the chance to see what's inside.

* * *

 **Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

Well, I don't want to say we're lost but I'm not sure wandering aimlessly down a random sand covered path really counts as anything else. Then again this is the Hunger Games so it might be advantageous for us to not know exactly where we are, after all if we don't know no one else will either. Though it might not be that great a thing if the two little backpacks we snatched at the cornucopia don't have food or water in them.

"Quanta what exactly are we looking for?"

"I told you once Luell we're looking for shelter and high ground. All the stuff I studied about the Games in school says that those are the two most important things to find on the first day in the arena."

"That's what I don't get, though. We're in a canyon so isn't everything technically high ground?"

"This isn't actually a canyon it's a wadi. They may seem similar but there are a couple distinct differences that make a wadi a wadi and not a canyon."

"I could really care less right now what the difference is Quanta but I am interested to know when you think we'll be able to stop and rest for a while."

"We're too exposed right now so we can't stop. Once we find high ground we'll take a break."

"Ok, how long do you think that's going to take?"

"As long as it has too."

"Ok then give me your best guess then."

"An inventor does not simply guess Luell."

"Fine then estimate or round-up or whatever it is an inventor does and tell me when we can stop and rest. It's too hot to keep walking."

He's got a point and as much as I'd hate to stop and sit in the open I'm not entirely sure how long it'll really take for us to find a legitimately safe place to rest. Granted there's no such thing as a safe place in the arena but objectively speaking some places are obviously safer than others. That's why I've been trying to find high ground because if we at least have that working for us we should be able to see anyone coming at us for a decent distance, the only real problem is I'm not sure we're even headed the right direction to find high ground. I mean I'm positive that we're traveling north from the main valley that much I can tell from the sun, as long as the sun works in the arena like it does normally that is. Other than that all I know for sure is we took a long and wide path out of the central valley and we passed a few man-made openings in the walls as we've been traveling. We took the first path as far as we could and took the second turn we came to and passed another small opening at the main junction of this offshoot but other than that I'm pretty much lost.

"What do you think Dargo, should Quanta let us take a break or should we keep on trekking into the unknown on tired feet?"

"I think she's right that we need to find high ground or at the very least some sort of shelter preferably before nightfall. Now given how late in the day the Games started it's impossible to exactly what time it is but I can tell you based on the sun that it's at least late afternoon to early evening so we probably don't have all that much daylight left. So, in conclusion, I think it's better if we keep moving while we still have the chance."

"Thank you, Dargo."

"You're welcome."

"Fine you both win, we'll keep walking. I just hope my feet don't fall off before we find the mythical high ground we're looking for."

I know he's just being dramatic but I do find it a little comical that Luell can find a way to be melodramatic in a situation like this, I mean my mind is going a zillion miles a minute trying to think of where we might find resources and where we're going to sleep, and what or who might be stalking us or lurking around the next bend but Luell seems to be immune to those worries, I wish I could be so carefree and content.

We march on for another few hundred feet before we come to the end of the little offshoot we took and to my disappointment it appears to be a dead-end. Luell seems to think so too and as once he finally catches up and sees just what it is he's been walking so long to see he throws himself to the ground with an audible huff.

"Well, this looks like a bust. Sorry Quanta but it looks like Luell was right after all. If we hurry we might be able to make it back to the junction before nightfall."

Dargo extends his hand to Luell who reluctantly takes it and is pulled to his feet as the two of them start to slowly make their way back the way we came while I feverishly scan the wall for any sign of the high ground I'd hoped to find at the end of the path. After nearly a minute of looking, I'm about to give up hope when a massive opening that almost looks like an enormous door frame seems to stick out just enough from the rest of the wall in the late afternoon sun to catch my eye.

"Guys wait I think I found it."

The two of them turn around and head back my way though not without another overly dramatic sigh from Luell in the process but within a few seconds, the two of them are standing to either side of me as I try to get them to see what it is I see.

"I'm sorry but I just can't see it Quanta. Do you see what's she's talking about Dargo?"

"I think I see what she's talking about but it's impossible to tell from down here what it is. We're going to have to climb up and get a closer look."

This little revelation does nothing to alleviate the angst and anger Luell feels at our current situation but after a few seconds of prodding by Dargo, he reluctantly agrees to climb up with us and see what it is. So Dargo and I each sling one of our two small but incredibly valuable supply bags over our backs as we search the rocks for any sign of footholds or a path to climb up and while we're not fortunate enough to find a path we do find a series of smaller ledges and outcroppings that make it a relatively easy task to climb up the side to the opening.

"See Luell that wasn't so bad now was it?"

"Getting up here wasn't bad, but how do we get back down?"

"The same way we came up but in reverse."

"Real helpful Dargo."

The two of them trade jabs for a moment but I'm far more interested in whatever this is and while the two of them sit and talk I cautiously venture into the mouth of the opening and after maybe fifty or so feet I pass through what looks like a set of massive gold plated doors only to be stopped dead in my tracks as the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen in my life peers back at me in the dim light. A magnificent painting of animals with people legs adorn the walls and ceiling of the tunnel stretching back into the darkness and next to each of the animal people is a man dressed in ornate clothing offering the animal people some kind of present.

I want to see more but I'm not sure what could be lurking further in so I decide to wait for a few seconds while my allies notice I'm gone and decide to come in after me. To my utter surprise, my wait is a relatively short one as a few seconds later the two of them come jogging up to me Dargo with some kind of whip in his hand and Luell with a canteen of water in one and some sort of small hammer in the other.

"What the hell are you doing in here and why didn't you wait for us to head in?"

"If I'd waited Luell we'd still be back at the opening and I might have never seen these amazing paintings."

I gesture to the walls around us and for the first time, the two of them actually stop and look at where their surroundings and while Dargo does a good job of hiding his awe Luell's jaw almost hits the floor as he tries to take in the sheer beauty and scope of the scenes painted around him.

"These are amazing, but what do they mean?"

"I'm not sure Luell, but our answer might be at the end of the tunnel."

I offer the two of them an inquisitive look and after a moment of hesitation, they both nod and the three of us continue down the corridor into the darkness. Unfortunately, our journey is a short one as the tunnel ends in a small pit like room with a set of stairs leading up to an elevated area. At most the entire area is maybe one hundred and fifty feet total but there's only one way in and it's elevated off the ground enough that it just might serve for us as a base going forward. The massive doors might be a bonus too if we can find a way to open and shut them safely that is.

* * *

 **Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

So that's what it's like to watch someone you care about die. I have a whole new understanding of just how terrible a man Erik really is and I also have a whole new motivation to win the games and that's to spare my older brother the pain of turning into the kind of monster that Erik is, the kind of monster I might have to become to survive. After I saw Iona drive her sword into Emi I just lowered my head and ran, my face was covered in the gooey mess created by my tears and snot but I never stopped moving until I was sure I was safe and even then I only stopped because my body refused to go any further without a rest.

So there I was a blubbering fool with nothing but a hatchet and a small sack of supplies sitting in the sand like a fool thinking about how awful it was to see Emi die like that when it finally dawned on me, I'm going to end up like that too if I keep acting like this, so I picked myself up and brushed myself off and kept moving. Eventually, I found myself walking down a relatively gentle slope when I came across a small opening in the rocks with a ladder leading down into a darkened room.

"Well, what do I have to lose at this point?"

Deciding to throw caution to the wind I carefully tie the strings of my sack together and around my shoulder before picking up my hatchet and swinging my leg over the edge and searching for the first rung of the ladder. Once I find it and manage to secure my footing I quickly descend the few rungs until I find myself submerged in darkness but standing on solid ground. Peering into the murky darkness I catch the faint glint of what I think is some kind of metal but with the less than stellar light, it's hard to be completely sure. However I do know two things beyond a shadow of a doubt, this place is creepy as hell and it's probably going to be the safest place I'll find for me to lay low for a little while, after all, there's only one way in and that's the ladder so if no one's going to sneak up on me so I might as well make camp here for the night.

"This is just great Aster, first, you lose your ally and now you're making camp in a creepy hole in the ground. Can this day get any worse?"

Maybe I'm being too hard on myself or maybe I'm just being paranoid but as I take a seat on the relatively soft sand of the pit I can't help but wonder what this thing is supposed to be and how much of a fool I must look like to everyone in Panem.

Pushing the thoughts from my mind I quickly unsling my bag and dump the contents in a small pile on the ground inside the relatively poor light offered by the opening of the shaft above and begin to sort through the merger bounty I managed to score at the cost of my allies life.

"Stop thinking like that Aster, there was nothing you could have done to save her. Anyway, you should have expected the one friend you made in the Capitol would die quickly, after all, the only person you've ever cared about that isn't dead yet is your brother so it really shouldn't be a surprise that knowing you got Emi killed."

I try to banish my emotional thoughts once again as I do everything I can to focus on my supplies. A book of matched two canteens of water, a small bottle of iodine, three packages of crackers, a space blanket and a small slab of jerked meat. It's not exactly a feast but at least I won't starve or dehydrate for a day or two, that's a start I guess.

"Yes, a start for you that meant the end of your allies life. I hope your crappy little bag of supplies was worth her death Aster."

This time, I can't fight my internal demons so rather than fight a losing battle I quickly scoop my supplies back into the bag and set it in the corner of the main room of my little hideaway before making my way to the far side of the room and breaking down in tears.

* * *

 **A/N: Well I'm back from camping and I had a blast but I did miss writing so I'm glad to be back :) This takes us through the second part of day 1 and as you can see we're starting to see a little bit more of the arena and the little treasures it holds for the remaining tributes to find. Now as most of you did guess this is the Valley of the Kings where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried and I'm super excited to show you all some of the mutt and trap ideas I've come up with :)**

 **Now that I'm home and I'm mostly done with school for this semester I should have a little more free time to write so I hope to get a good amount done and out over the next few weeks while I get ready to start my summer semester so be on the lookout for updates and lots of them :) Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I'll see you all later this week for the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by Lachlan

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by Lachlan

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by Antonia

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by Iona

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by Aldrin

 **Kill Total**

2- Lachlan

1- Iona

1- Antonia

1- Aldrin

1- Fern(Suicide)


	20. Waking Nightmare(Day 1 Part 3)

**Aldrin Derino-13(D6M)**

Well, so far this has gone about as poorly as I'd expected it to, not that I thought for a second that convincing Antonia to abandon Alex was going to be easy but I thought she'd at least be willing to hear us out on the subject. However she's been incredibly unwilling to do so and I've spent the better part of the last hour beating my head against the wall while trying to get her to understand just how precarious a position keeping him with us could leave us in if he ends up being sick and not just hurt. The worst part is the longer the argument goes on the more Iona wavers in her resolve and before too long I wouldn't be surprised to find my one-time supporter firmly on the other side pushing to keep Alex alive at all costs.

"I can't believe we're even discussing this. Why in the world would the two of you think this would be something I'd even consider let alone go along with it?"

"Because if you stand back and look at this from an objective place instead of an emotional one you'd realize we're right."

"You're not right Aldrin and I don't believe for a second that Iona legitimately agrees with you on this."

"What don't you believe that she can be pragmatic or that she's capable of taking the long view on such an important issue?"

"I can't believe that she's willing to turn her back on someone just because they're sick and hurting. Not after everything she's gone through in her life anyway."

Her statement is a little puzzling but before I have a chance to dig deeper into what she means Iona surprisingly steps between us and places a sympathetic and strangely calming hand on Antonia's shoulder before speaking for the first time since the beginning of the discussion.

"The things I've lived through, the things I've seen are exactly why I'm standing with Aldrin on this. The simple fact of the matter is Alex is dying and we don't know how bad off he truly is. The truth is no one recovers from injuries like this in the arena without serious sponsor help and right now we're not nearly far enough into the games for any of our mentors to be considering spending that much on medicine. At this point letting him die with a little dignity is a far more just and compassionate thing to do then force him to linger on for our sakes until blood poisoning or loss finally does him in and if our positions were reversed I'd hope he'd say the same about me…."

I honestly can't believe she said that, I mean that's how I feel about it but I never in my wildest dreams imagined that Iona would be the one to lay it out so eloquently and respectfully and for as profound an effect as it had on me I can tell it was even more effective on Antonia as I can see the unmistakable glint of tears welling up in her eyes as she stares unblinkingly into Iona's'.

"I….I can't do it, Iona. I just can't kill my ally because he's hurt. What will everyone back home think of me if I do? What will my parents and brothers think about me if I murder someone just because he's hurt?"

"They'll realize that you took a very brave step to spare your friend further pain. Everyone will realize that it was an incredibly difficult thing to do but in the end, you were selfless enough to give someone who's in unimaginably excruciating pain the sweetest gift anyone can give. A piece of your soul, a piece of who you are by granting them the peace they deserve."

Those simple words and a reassuring hug are all it takes for Antonia's defenses to crumble as she buries her face in Iona's shoulder and bursts into tears as Iona tries her best to calm her by running her hand up and down her back while offering her barely audible words of comfort as she sobs uncontrollably to the point that the entire top half of Iona's sleeve is absolutely saturated in her tears.

"W…W….Why does it have to be him, though? W….W….Why does someone so sweet and kind have to die? W….W….What did he do to deserve this?"

"He didn't do anything Antonia but these things happen. It's never fair when they do but it's a part of life that we all have to face at some point. Alex is just lucky enough to have the three of us to face it with him."

I watch from a distance in silence as Iona succeeds at calming Antonia down enough that I feel safe reinserting myself into the conversation as I slowly make my way towards them. Not wanting to come between them and risk reigniting the heated debate that seems to be dying down I stop a few paces away and instead move to the side so that I'm facing the both of them as I offer the only real words of solace and comfort I can think of.

"Iona's right, we're a team, Antonia. That means none of us has to face any of this alone; the good or the bad, we'll face it all together."

"We can't face everything together Aldrin, there are some things each of us will have to face on our own. Hell eventually the three of us could be at crossed purposes and if that should come to pass only one of us will be able to walk away from it."

"You're right, but that's not now and it doesn't have to happen at this particular moment. The three of us can do this together so none of us will have to bear the burden of being the one to do the deed; he's a part of our alliance after all."

"He's your ally, he's Iona's ally but he's more than just my ally, he's my district partner. If anyone should be the one to….Send him on his way, it should be me."

Iona throws me a worried frown as Antonia pulls away from her embrace and slowly bends down to pick up her knife from the spot in the sand she spiked it into during the early part of our argument before casually wiping the blade clean on her sleeve and heading towards the front of the cornucopia with slow but determined steps.

I move to stop her but Iona quickly steps in front of me and places her small hand in the center of my chest and stops me in my tracks.

"Get out of my way Iona. I can't let her do this alone."

"She needs to do it alone, though, it's the only way she's going to be able to come to terms with it."

"That's a load of crap and you know it. She's our ally and we owe it to her to help with this."

"You really want to help?"

"Yes!"

"Then let her do this but herself. She wants to do it and she needs to do it."

I can't really see the logic in her argument but I decide not to press the issue and so I resign myself to offering up a small nod before turning my attention towards the rapidly darkening sky. While searching the sky a small bird lands casually on the edge of the cornucopia and I quickly find myself distracted by its simple elegance and amazing colors until a loud crash scares him away and sends Alex soaring into the heavens.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Bryn Snowdon-13 (D3M)**

I'm pretty sure that was number seven, I mean I'm almost positive I'd heard six individual cannons fired before that last one so that it would have to have been number seven. Provided my numbers are accurate that means I've only got to survive long enough to hear an additional sixteen cannon blasts, how hard can that be? I mean I know this isn't going to be easy and the fact that I ended up with one canteen of water and a big bag of banana chips doesn't exactly do a lot to raise my confidence about my chances either. Then again when I got reaped I knew this wasn't going to be easy but I did promise the people that matter to me that I wouldn't give up, and a promise is far too important a bond to break.

I stick my hand in my pocket and fish out the small stone my friend Leo gave me when he said goodbye and despite the darkness of the tunnel I'm in and the rapidly fading light I can still make out the words etched on each side as clearly as I could when he handed it to me in the Justice Center. Courage and fear, the only advice my friend gave me was to be courageous but also fearful and it wasn't until the games actually started that I truly understood what he meant by courage and fear, at least I think I've figured it out anyway.

"You were trying to warn me Leo but I was too stubborn and scared to listen."

I mean Leo didn't actually warn me, after all, it would have been kind of hard for someone who's never spoken an actual word in his life to have warned me in the traditional way but his message would have been loud and clear if I'd only take the time to think about it before now. Then again maybe that's part of my problem, I don't think things through as carefully as I should and I don't look at the big picture or the small hints behind things until its almost to late.

"Well Leo it's too late to make good of your advice for training and the first day, but maybe I can still use it to make it out of here alive."

Courage and fear….Fear and Courage….Two sides of the same coin and I have to figure out how to use them both properly before it's too late. Courage means I need to be brave and bold, I need to be willing to take the chances tomorrow that I was to scared to take today. Fear means I need to be cautious and alert, I need to be willing to avoid the unnecessary risks that will only end up getting me hurt or killed with gaining little real reward for taking them.

"Is that what you meant Leo? Do I need to strike a balance between caution and risk?"

Then again he could have meant this to represent the two of us. My courage and willingness to break into people's houses to steal books and his fear that always drove me to return them after we were done. Maybe he wanted me to remember him, my one real friend while I'm so far away and alone in the Capitol. After all, he's always been so kind and caring towards me it wouldn't be out of character at all for him to decide to give me something simple and wonderful like this to remember him and our friendship by especially seeing as how I was going to such a fast pace and advanced place.

"Was that what you meant Leo, that I need to keep myself grounded and level-headed even in the chaotic atmosphere of the Capitol and the Games?"

I really wish he was here right now, at least then I'd be able to guess the meaning behind his gift by the way he raises and lowers his brows when I'm talking. Then again maybe it was meant to be a mystery, the kind only he could explain. If that's what he was angling for it would explain a lot as he knows I can't stand letting a good mystery get away from me, and that means I'll have to survive the Games and make it home to ask him the meaning behind the rock.

"That's it isn't it you sly dog? You're trying to pull a fast one but you're going to have to be a lot quicker then that if you want to get one past me, Leo."

I'm not sure why I'm talking out loud like this, after all the only thing doing so can possibly accomplish is to draw the attention of a mutt or another tribute and with my lack of anything resembling a weapon and the incredibly lazy and fairly useless little trip hazard I set up at the mouth of the tunnel I'd be as good as dead if either managed to find me.

"Well, then I guess I'd better be quiet then."

I silently admonish myself for doing it again but at least this one wasn't as loud as the last few so that's a step in the right direction. Regardless I'm starting to get sleepy and it's becoming a constant battle to keep my eyes open so I slip the rock back in my pocket and do my best to position myself properly so I'm as protected from the cool night breeze as possible while pulling my knees as close to my body as I can. This has the double advantage of keeping me warmer and makes me less likely to be seen if someone or something does happen to walk by the tunnel during the night. Once I'm sure I'm as covered and concealed as I'm going to get I scoop up my bag of food and stuff it inside the folds of my shirt and I safely set the canteen beside it as I close my eyes and drift off into a very uncomfortable but surprisingly dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Brooke Kolstad-13(D12F)**

This has got to be the single most ridiculously uncomfortable place I've tried to sleep in my entire life and considering the fact that I slept on a giant bag stuffed with paper for six months after we moved a couple of years ago that's no small feat. Then again being uncomfortable and alive is a much better alternative than being comfortable and dead so I probably shouldn't complain. After all Brenton and I both managed to escape the bloodbath alive and his quick thinking even managed to secure us a pack of supplies and some kind of sling thing he assures me is a weapon and while I'm not convinced it can I'm willing to wait for morning for him to show me how it works.

In addition to the sling thing the bag had a pair of reflective space blankets which seemed stupid at first but once the sun went down and the temperature dropped I was more than happy to break one out and wrap up in it. We also ended up with a pocket knife, one half-gallon jug of water and two empty canteens, a pound of something called jerky, two apples, and a battery operated lantern like the ones they've taken to using in the mines back home. All in all, I'd say we made out pretty well considering I almost got knocked off my pedestal when the girl from Ten jumped and I still can't hear all that well….

"OWWWWWW! What the fuck was that?!"

The sudden outburst startles me and my first instinct is to grab my little knife to defend myself but if this is anything serious all that can do is make me a target after our attacker stops laughing so I force myself not to draw it and instead I shimmy out from under my blanket and clasp my hand firmly over Brenton's mouth before glaring down at him in a half-dazed state.

"Keep it down or you're going to give away our hiding place to half the freaking arena."

I stare him down until I'm sure he gets the point and once he offers me a slight nod I remove my hand and he immediately turns to the side and vomits up a noxious yellow pus the smell of which almost causes me to vomit myself. Alarmed I quickly grab the lantern and switch it on in time to see a long black animal slither between a rock near his feet as he turns to the side and vomits up another helping of whatever it is that's still in his system.

"Something bit me and I…."

He can't even finish his sentence before he turns and lets loose with another volley but this one is more alarming than the previous two as a copious amount of blood accompanies it as I instinctively try to keep myself away from the splatter.

"M...M...My insides are on fire. What the hell's happening to me?"

I don't know the answer but I quickly pull his blanket off him and my nostrils are immediately bombarded by a smell twice as noxious as what he created by throwing up but I manage to control myself long enough to notice a small tear in his pants that I manage to direct his attention towards before I lose control of my reflexes and have to turn away to vomit myself. Once I manage to clear out my system I turn back around only to find myself immediately assaulted by the incessant need to vomit again once I get a good look at his leg. Maybe halfway between his knee and the top of his shoe is a massive bump with the same noxious yellow pus oozing out of two small puncture wounds in the center.

"Oh my god Brenton, what the hell happened?"

"I'm not sure. One second I was asleep and the next a sharp pinching pain shot through my leg and within a few seconds my whole leg was on fire. After that I…."

Once again he's interrupted by a bout of vomiting but while he's doing so I quickly start stuffing our blankets back inside the bag before scooping up the lantern and offering him my hand.

"We need to get out of here because I'm pretty sure you were bitten by a mutt and I'm almost certain I saw it slither back into the depths of the cave."

"Y...You saw it?"

"I think I did, it slithered back between a rock when I turned the lantern on but that's not important right now."

I flail my hand in his face in a vain attempt to get him to take it as he turns to his side and vomits once again before falling face first into the pile with a thud.

"BRENTON!"

I race to his side and pull his face out of the vomit but it's pointless as he starts to foam at the mouth and shake violently in my arms until I'm forced to drop him out of fear that he might rip my arm out of its socket. Instead, I'm forced to watch as his spasms slowly subside as he draws his final breath before finally falling still.

I don't even wait for the cannon instead I lower my head and sprint off into the night. I can't stomach the thought of losing someone else I care about, not like this, not to the Hunger Games, not again...

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Audrie Christison-13(D1F)**

Two tonight and six in the bloodbath for a grand total of eight. Eight tributes have died so far and if we hadn't found this….Whatever it is the number probably would have been nine because Topaz wouldn't have made it through the day. Luckily whatever this place is was sheltered from the sun and cool enough that I'm pretty sure we managed to stabilize Topaz before his heat cramps moved over into the exhaustion stage but only time will tell, for now he's sleeping relatively peacefully next to Archie while Connor has taken up residence on the far side of the little room at the back of the tunnel we decided to make our camp in while I sit on a massive pile of stones in the center keeping watch.

Luckily I've been able to keep myself entertained by looking at the beautiful paintings that cover the walls of the room and I've even been able to use the shadows cast by our small fire in the corner to tell myself a little story as the fire seems to be making the weird letters and people dance about in strange ways. I find myself so lost in my story that I don't realize that Connor is awake to relieve me and trying to attract my attention without waking the others.

"Audrie!"

It takes her being right next to me and all but shout-whispering in my ear to snap me out of my own little world but when she does it takes all my strength and self-control not to scream in shock.

"Don't do that you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry but I couldn't get your attention any other way."

"Next time try lobbing a pebble or something first, you seriously nearly got punched in the face for that."

"In the future, I'll try to remember to pelt you with a rock before tapping you on the shoulder."

"That's all I'm asking silly."

Even with her back to the fire I can tell my remark makes Connor uncomfortable and while I'm marginally curious as to why I'm not sure this is the time or the place for me to pry into what about talking to me is so unsettling for her. Instead, I slide off the rocks and quietly make my way towards the fire where I toss another a couple more pieces of dried wood we found in the back of this place on top before sliding down beside it and staring up at the ceiling. For as amazing as the pictures covering the walls are the scene above is ten times more amazing and interesting as on either side of the little bend running down the center of the room there's an image of a naked women stretching out in an unfathomable way while people gather beneath and look up at the field of stars between the naked woman's body and them.

"Aren't you going to bed Audrie?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were planning on going to sleep?"

"Probably not. It's not easy for me to get up and then go back to sleep so I'll probably just tend to the fire so you don't have to worry about it."

"If you can't get back to sleep why'd you volunteer to take the watch in the middle? You could have gone first or last so you would have gotten a fair amount of sleep."

"It's not a big deal, I don't think I'd have gotten much sleep anyway given everything that's going on right now."

"Right….So did anything happen while I was out?"

"There was another cannon but not much else."

"Another one, geese what is that now seven?"

"Eight, there were seven faces during the tribute so the other one makes eight."

"Right, I still can't believe that Alex died in the bloodbath. I was sure he'd make it farther than that."

Ya Alex's death came as a shock to all of us and if he hadn't been resting I'm pretty sure Topaz would have shed a few tears at his passing after all Alex was the only career who really seemed willing to talk to him during training. Other than Alex though the deaths seemed to be pretty much standard for a Hunger Games regardless of the year, both tributes from Eleven and one each from Five, Seven, and Nine is a pretty much standard rotation at this point and while I hate thinking about it like that I suppose there's a bright side to look at with their deaths, at least they won't have to suffer anymore.

"You ok Audrie?"

"What?"

"You look a little upset and I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm fine, relatively speaking of course. I was just wondering why it had to be Alex that died early and not Antonia. I mean she was a world-class ass to Topaz because he got a little scared when he got reaped and I just can't understand how she could have expected anything different out of another kid."

"You know those career types, they've been programmed to not feel emotions and to kill without hesitation so it's not really surprising that she's such a bitch."

"Do you really think that's what happens in the academy? That they program us to be unfeeling killing machines?"

"Maybe that wasn't the best way to describe it but I don't really have another comparison that works."

"They don't train us to be monsters like you think. Sure some people relish the thrill of killing more than others but for the most part, they teach us the same stuff we learned from Tal and the other Capitol trainers just in a slower more in-depth way."

"Maybe that's how they trained you in District One but what about District Two or Four? How do they train the volunteers in those districts?"

"That's a good question and unfortunately, it's one I don't have an answer to, but I'd imagine it's not all that different from how I was trained."

"Maybe it's not, but how do you account for how ruthless and evil the careers normally are? Sure you and Topaz are pretty normal but the others seem so, distant and cold. Maybe they just didn't like me but they still seem like the monsters of years past to me."

"You forget that some of those 'monsters' were from my district too."

"I haven't forgotten Audrie, hell it's in the back of my mind every second of every day. Hell part of me is waiting for you to snap."

"You think I'm going to snap? Why the hell would you think that?"

"I'm not really sure, I mean up to now you've been an amazing ally and an even better person and I truly do like being around you. It's just a part of me is afraid to get too close to anyone from a career district, I'm afraid it'll get me killed."

"Connor I….I'm not going to do anything to hurt you unless you make me do it. You know that right?"

"Part of me does, and the other part of me wonders if your kind words and sweet actions are just masking your intent until the time is right. I know it sounds crazy but I've spent my whole life fearing two things, being reaped and being mutilated by a career. I've already lived through my first nightmare so I'm naturally scared shitless of the second one happening too. After all career district don't exactly have a reputation for quick, clean kills, especially not recently."

I don't know why her words hurt as much as they do because I know exactly why she feels the way she does. After all, I had to watch Precious skin that girl alive two years ago and the image of that poor girl screaming in pain as she was mutilated haunts me to this day. Then again I'm not Precious and while I understand she hid her true depravity well enough that she not only got picked to volunteer but also managed to keep herself in her alliance and in the Capitol's good graces for as long as she did should make anyone uneasy I still can't grasp why Connor would think I'd be capable of doing something like that, especially not to someone I like as much as her.

"There's nothing I can say that's going to put your fears to rest so I'm not going to bother trying to convince you through promises and vows, but I do hope you'll be willing to make one to me."

"I'd have to know what is it first?"

"If I ever become a monster like other careers have….If I become the same kind of nightmare that haunts my dreams, I want you to put me down because I couldn't live with myself if I became something like that. Can you promise me that Connor?"

"I can, but I hope I never have to keep that promise."

"So do I."

* * *

 **A/N: Well this takes us to the end of Day 1 and the action is about to ratchet up so strap yourselves in because things are about to get super fun :)**

 **Anyway I was able to get this chapter up a little ahead of schedule and while I have a Political Science test to study for this weekend I'm confident I'll be able to post the first part of Day 2 by no later than Sunday afternoon so I hope that's ok with everyone :)**

 **Other than that please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far and I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you this weekend for the next update :D**

 **P.S. I'm deathly afraid snakes so that whole Mutt scene gave me the heebeegeebees :) lol**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by Lachlan

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by Lachlan

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by Antonia

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by Iona

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by Aldrin

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by Antonia

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt Bite

 **Kill Total**

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Mutt

1- Fern(Suicide)


	21. From Bad to Worse(Day 2 Part 1)

**Tyranna Vale(President of Panem)**

"ONE DAY! IT TOOK ONE DAY FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOCKERY OF MY GAMES CELINE! ONE DAY!"

"Ma'am I'm not sure this is as bad as you think it is. Granted it's far from ideal but so far the only real fallout has been that she allowed more tributes to secure supplies than might normally have been able too. In the end, all that really does is extend the survival of a few of the less desirable tributes but it shouldn't really affect the outcome of the games themselves."

"It's already affected the outcome Celine and the fact that you can't seem to see that is a little….Concerning to say the least."

"Ma'am I'm just not sure what the problem is. This isn't the first time a tribute stepped off their plate early and died as a result."

"You're right it's not, but it is the first time it was done so blatantly."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm saying that every other time it happened it was obvious that an overzealous tribute that was trying to get an advantage had just mistimed their jump, but this wasn't even close."

"I'm still not…."

"Stop trying to spin this positively and pull your head out of your ass Celine!"

"Of….Of course Madam President. I apologise for my absent-mindedness on this issue and I assure you it will not happen again."

"It can't happen again, Celine. It's bad enough that I've already had to crack down on the districts once only to have it turn out like this."

"How would you like my team and I to proceed then?"

"I want you to make the surviving tributes lives a living hell. I want you to unleash every mutt and use every trap you designed for this arena regardless of whether or not you'd previously intended to use it. I want the tributes to suffer for this and I want the victor to be drenched in blood when they win. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal ma'am…."

"Good. Now if there's nothing else I trust you can find your way out."

"Of course, ma'am, it's just..."

"Was there something else Celine?"

"I was just wondering...Nothing ma'am, It's not important."

"I decide what's important. Now, what is it?"

"It's just….What are you going to do about the girl?"

"You really want to know?"

"I….Yes ma'am I do."

"I'm not going to do anything about her, not yet anyways."

"Why not?"

"Well, I'm going to assume she never told her mentors she planned to do this so punishing them won't solve anything and while killing her parents would definitely send a message I'm leaning towards a more artful approach."

"Such as?"

"Now that's something I'm not going to tell you just yet. However I feel like we've wasted enough time talking don't you?"

"Of course ma'am."

"Good. You're dismissed."

* * *

 **Kaelia Blitzen-12(D6F)**

I can't believe how big this place is, I mean there was nothing about the landscape or the way the opening looked to even hint at just how immense and beautiful this thing is. Yesterday I'd been too cautious and frankly too scared to investigate anything that wasn't exposed to the light and even then I only lingered long enough to make sure nothing was lurking in the shadows, but after a restless night spent shivering near the entrance I decided to have a little look deeper inside, the fact that I found a small flashlight tucked away in the corner of my supply bag only made the decision that much easier.

Even with my light and my club I still have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something's not quite right, but I can't seem to pinpoint what exactly I don't feel comfortable about. At first, I thought it might have been that I hid my supplies in a little nook near the entrance but even after retracing my steps and collecting them I still can't seem to shake it. Part of me is convinced that I'm not going to feel safe because of where I am but another smaller part is screaming at me not to be an idiot and to get out of here while I still can.

Pushing my doubts away I continue deeper inside until I reach the deepest point I explored yesterday as the shaft turns left and continues deeper. Pulling my little light out of my pocket I switch it on and shine the illuminating beam into the murky darkness only to be greeted by another small corridor covered in all sorts of strange and unusual pictures that almost seem to dance underneath the wavering gaze of my light. Seeing as how nothing has tried to kill me yet I slip my supplies off my shoulder and set them gently on the ground next to the wall before adjusting my grip on my club and cautiously starting down the corridor.

I stop after maybe ten or so feet to inspect some of the pictures on the wall and to my amazement, they're not just painted on but carved into the stone with a light coat of paint on top. I stare in amazement as a wide assortment of birds and other animals that all have what looks like human bodies from the waist down seem to dance before me in some kind of primitive tribal tribute to a man dressed in almost obscenely opulent manner. Like I've seen how the people in the Capitol dress and this guy makes all of them look like poorly dressed morphling addicts that populate the underbelly of District Six.

While I'm transfixed by a particularly amazing looking carving of the opulently dressed man having his mouth opened by a slightly less well-dressed person as what I assume is meant to be his spirit floats out and upwards towards an assembly of the animal people looking down from above a faint rustling sound catches me attention. I manage to pry my attention away from the picture as I cautiously shine my light farther down the hall into what looks like another room. I hold my breath for a few seconds before taking a couple of cautious steps forward as I slip my light into my mouth so I can grip my club with both hands.

I cover the last few feet between me and the next room fairly quickly and since nothing has decided to jump out and attack me I feel safe enough to return to a one-handed grip on my club as I cautiously shine my light into every corner of the new room. It only takes me a few seconds to discover that this is the last room I'm going to be exploring as despite having four little cubbyholes like rooms none of them are nearly big enough for me to travel through.

I let out a defeated sigh as the realization that there was nothing of value hidden inside this amazingly decorated but extremely creepy and now slightly disappointing little, whatever it is. I almost turn back but decide instead to do a quick second sweep of the for anything I might have missed on my first pass and when I come up empty once again I decide to get out while the getting's still good.

I take one last disappointed look around the room before spinning around and starting back towards the entrance. I make it maybe halfway back down the corridor when a shadowy figure steps out from behind the corner and stands in the entrance. I feel my stomach leap into my throat as the figure starts to slowly move down the passageway towards me, its left leg dragging behind it in an incredibly unsettling way. I quickly bring my light up only to drop it in terror as I'm greeted by the headless forum of a linen wrapped, gold and jewel covered mutt.

I let out a terrified wail as the mutt lowers its head and barrels into me and sends me sprawling to the floor. The force of the hit is enough to send my club and light flying back down the corridor towards the dead-end chamber but it doesn't matter as the mutt doesn't give me a chance to retaliate anyway as no sooner have I hit the floor than it's on top of me using its amazingly sharp nails to tear chunks of flesh off my face

I start to panic and while I do my best to fight it off all I manage to do is deliver a series of glancing blows, most of which do more damage to me then the mutt as I seem to regularly connect with the gold and jewelry covering its body more often than not. Finally, after a few minutes of futile flailing, the mutt manages to pin my arms underneath its knees as it digs the tips of its fingers into my throat.

I let out one last terrified screeching plea for mercy as the mutt's fingers continue to delve deeper and deeper into the soft flesh of my throat. Realizing that it's no use I close my eyes and try to think of happier times as the mutt suddenly and violently tears my throat and ends my life in a violently painful and brutal manner.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Topaz Kayden-12(D1M)**

The crash of a cannon tears me out of my sweat drenched slumber and rudely thrusts me back into the grim and almost sad reality that I'm still in the arena. Part of me was hoping that yesterday had just been a terrible dream and that today would be the day the games actually started. Then again I should have realised that with my recent string of luck the arena probably would have been ten times worse than the excessively hot hell hole I'm currently stuck in so I might as well consider myself lucky that yesterday wasn't a bad dream.

"Don't look now guys but I think Topaz might finally be awake."

I turn my attention towards the voice only to find myself mildly startled at the site of Archie's face hovering mere inches away from mine. I manage to suppress a vocal response but my attempted roll away only manages to get me tangled up in my sleeping bag and within a few seconds I'm helplessly trapped. I struggle for a few seconds but it's quickly apparent that I'm only making things worse and I'm forced to admit defeat and ask for assistance.

"Well, that was a really funny trick, Archie. In fact, it was so funny I seem to have forgotten how to get out of my bag. Would you be so kind as to help me escape this mess? I'd ask one of the girls but I'd like to save a little face at the very least."

He offers an amused snort while Audrie and Connor try and miserably fail to suppress a series of giggles that quickly spill over into outright laughter when I join in. A few minutes and a series of angry and incredibly inappropriate words I've never heard before later I'm out and attempting to roll up the stretched and possibly useless remnants of my sleeping bag.

"Thanks, Archie."

"Don't mention it. After all the look on your face was more than worth the effort of prying you out of that sweat stained deathtrap."

It's only after he mentions how sweaty the bag was that Audrie and Connor take a closer look at me and it's quickly apparent to the both of them that my clothes are absolutely saturated in sweat. I do my best to avoid their concerned gazes but after a few minutes outside the bag with legitimate airflow surrounding me, I find myself shivering slightly. However I'm not able to bring it under control and within a few seconds, my shivering becomes uncontrollable as my teeth begin to clang together so loudly and fiercely I'm scared I might break them.

"For the love of god Topaz, wrap yourself up before you catch your death. Connor tosses him the space blanket while I go lay his bag out to dry. Archie will you get him a little water and some bread please."

I want to protest but the look in Audrie's eyes makes it incredibly clear that she's not in the mood to hear it so instead I simply hand her my sopping wet bag as Connor tosses me a small pouch with a reflective space blanket folded neatly inside. I tear open the wrapping and fish the blanket out and within a few seconds I've got myself wrapped up relatively snugly inside as Archie hands me half a roll and a half a small bottle of water that I ravenously devoured and drain only to immediately regret doing so as I have to force myself to keep from throwing up.

"We're lucky the bag is tan or someone might see it drying out there. Archie, didn't I ask you to get Topaz food?"

"I did, he already finished it. Did you want me to keep feeding him or something?"

"Stop being a smartass Archie, she just asked you a question."

"Why is it that every time I answer a question I'm automatically trying to be a smartass?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because you usually are. Or it could be that your general tone lends itself to you being a smartass."

"Both of you please stop. It was annoying enough yesterday but there's no reason for any of this, especially not before we've actually had to do anything."

I'm not sure what I missed yesterday and judging by the death glares being exchanged between Archie and Connor I might be better off not asking. Instead, I force myself to my feet and slowly make my way towards the gallon jug of water sitting in the corner with the other supplies and attempt to pour myself another half a bottle. However my hands refuse to stop shaking long enough for me to do and a few drops splash off the side of the bottle and create a small wet spot on the ground below.

"Be careful Topaz! We don't have enough water for you to be dumping it on the ground."

"S….Sorry Archie. I wasn't trying to spill it or anything."

For a second, I'm not sure he's going to accept my apology as I watch his cheeks flush with anger as his eyes dart between the girls in an almost pleading manner. After a few seconds Connor does step forward but to my surprise and Archie's utter disdain she simply takes the jug and finish filling my bottle before returning the jug to its place and offering me a reassuring smile."

"You're fine Topaz it was just an accident. Next time ask one of us to help so you don't spill again."

I nod my head in agreement as she hands me the bottle before slipping back towards Audrie and whispering something to her in a barely audible tone. I slowly make my way back towards the far wall and by the time I plop myself down on the ground Connor is making her way towards the door while Audrie is filling a pair of canteens with water.

"Ok, it didn't take me that long to sit down. What did I miss and where are the two of you going?"

"Connor and I are going to see if the careers have left the cornucopia."

"Isn't that something the four of us should do together, though?"

"Normally yes, but you're still not completely recovered from your ordeal so we'll have to make do with the two of us."

"That's ridiculous Audrie. I'm not hundred percent but I'm more than capable of helping. Just give me a second to get ready and we'll all go."

I move to get up but I quickly find her hand on my shoulder keeping me down. I brush her aside and try to get up again but she quickly leans down and whispers in my ear while applying just enough force to keep me from getting to my feet.

"I need to get Connor away from Archie for a little while and this is the only way to do it. You just stay here and rest up ok."

She slips something around my wrist before offering me a gentle pat on the back as she gets springs to her feet and scoops up the water. She casually tosses a bottle towards Connor who catches it and takes off outside at a slow jog that forces Audrie to run to catch up. I watch with mild interest as the two of them stop at the entrance to the tunnel and takes the opportunity to remark at just how hot it is despite the early hour as Connor wraps a piece of cloth around her forehead. Once Connor's done the two of them exchange relatively uneasy glances before finally forging out into the early morning sun.

It's only after the two of them disappear from sight that I bother to look down at my hand and I'm astonished to find a small knife dangling from the end of a piece of rope. For a second, I'm not sure why Audrie would give me a knife but after a few seconds, the uncomfortable reality of the situation starts to set in. She and Connor aren't sure they can trust Archie and with the two of them gone this is meant to be my protection against him doing something stupid. I just hope he comes to his senses and I don't have to use it.

* * *

 **Alden Devaire-13(D9F)**

I've got absolutely no idea where I am or how I even got here. Everything was so chaotic yesterday and as soon as the games started I just….Ran as fast and as hard as I could. However that wasn't exactly a good thing as I forgot to collect supplies and I didn't even pretend to orient myself to the arena or anything like that. The one piece of advice Kimma gave me was to not panic and I royally screwed that up not even a minute into the games.

"Well, I'm sure mom and dad would be super proud that I didn't die in the bloodbath at least."

Who am I kidding? I know full well both of my parents were probably too busy recovering from the previous night's festivities to even remember that I'm a tribute at all let alone that the games started yesterday. I mean I'd like to think they'd be able to pry themselves away from their blissful ignorance and worry about me but deep down I know they can't, it's not that they won't it's that they can't.

"I hate my life."

Well that's not exactly true, I don't hate my life so much as I hate the faux life my parents made me live. In an effort to keep up their care free and go with the flow image they made my brother and I adopt a complementary lifestyle and while my life in Nine wasn't all that bad and my parents were always there for me when I needed them a part of me will always hate the charade they turned my life into. The nonstop parties, the drinking, the excess, the cordial relationship with the peacekeepers and their general lack of desire to do anything other than enjoy the creature comforts always rubbed me the wrong way.

"Well Alden all you have to do is win and you can put that terrible life behind you and start living your way."

Then again I'm not sure that's true either. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to win and have my parents borrowing money left and right in a never-ending attempt to throw a bigger and better party than the last. I mean my mom's told me on numerous occasions that throwing the party to end all parties has always been her goal and if I have the financial means to help them do that it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see her try to make her dream a reality.

"Well, I guess I could always be the best partying Victor of all times."

I guess that would be more in line with what everyone back home expects from a Devaire so I might as well give them what they expect. It's not like my winning would really allow me to escape the image my family was so willing to help me cultivate back in Nine, and after the way the interviewer spent all her time asking me questions about my family and the legendary parties they throw I'm not sure it's possible for me to be anything but a party girl.

I know I really shouldn't be worrying about this, after all it'll all be a moot point if I die and with a distinct lack of anything resembling supplies that's a much more likely outcome than me winning is anyway. Doing my best to force the thoughts from my mind I stop paying attention to where I'm going and it's only after the ground below me gives way that I realise just how stupid a mistake that was. As I fall into the waiting embrace of the darkness below the only thing I can think to do is scream.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that's the first part of Day 2 and as you can see the Mutt action is about to pick up. I don't really have questions for this chapter but as always I love to hear from all of you regardless even if it's just to tell me you still hate Lachlan :p**

 **However I do want to assure everyone that even if you don't review all the time I'm not going to take it out on your submissions. I saw a review mentioning that and I've received a couple of PM's on the subject and while I do love to get reviews from everyone I have never nor will I ever hold not reviewing against a submitter.**

 **Anyway please review and let me know what you think and I hope to see all of you later this week for the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by Lachlan

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by Lachlan

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by Antonia

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by Iona

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by Aldrin

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by Antonia

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

 **Kill Total**

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

2- Mutt

1- Fern(Suicide)


	22. Cat and Mouse Game(Day 2 Part 2)

**Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

This has got to be the single stupidest idea in the long history of stupid ideas yet for some unimaginably ridiculous reason I've convinced myself that it's a good thing to do. I mean seriously who in their right mind goes out looking for the source of a scream in the Hunger Games, like really who in the hell does that? I mean I've always been boneheaded and a little bit on the silly side but this takes both traits to a whole new level of dumb. I just hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass.

Judging by the volume of the scream and the fact that I was able to hear it relatively well from my hiding place in the back room inside my little hidey-hole means that whoever or whatever made the sound can't be too far away. Unfortunately, that also mean any number of terribly awful things could also be hiding in the nooks and crannies that seem to dominate the surrounding landscape. So I cautiously made my way up the ladder and out into the oppressive heat of the arena proper and conducted a quick scan of the area in a vain attempt to alleviate my fears and satisfy my curiosity. Unfortunately outside of a half a hundred little areas that looked promising until I got closer and realized that the sun was just playing tricks on me I haven't been able to find any trace of who or what was the source of that hauntingly chilling screech.

After fifteen minutes or so of searching I'm starting to think my mind or more likely the arena is playing tricks on me, I'm about to give up but a nagging voice in the back of my head won't let me. I do my best to suppress the urge to keep searching but it's no use and after a minute or so of fighting with myself I finally relent and decide to spend just a few more minutes looking around the area. At this point I'm pretty sure it's a pointless endeavor but I can't seem to shake the nagging feeling that something is really out here, and at the very least I should make sure the immediate area surrounding my camp is safe so it's not as hard to justify continuing as it probably should be.

I turn and make my way up the incline from the entrance to my camp and head back along the main road towards the starting area when a faint whimpering sound stops me dead in my tracks and sends a chill running up my spine. My eyes quickly survey the area and while I can't see anything unusual the sound continues to build until that's the only thing I can hear. Again the logical part of my brain screams at me to run away but I can't suppress my curiosity as I quickly find myself calling out into the vast emptiness of the arena.

"HELLO….IS….IS THERE ANYONE OUT HERE!?"

Almost as soon as the last word passes my lips the sobbing stops and after a few seconds of awkwardly, eerie silence a strained and incredibly pain filled voice answers back.

H….H….HELP ME. SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!"

This is a terrible idea Aster absolutely terrible. You need to turn around and walk away before you get yourself killed. Even if whoever that is turns out to be a tribute and not a mutt it's still not a good idea to go off and place yourself in danger to help. After all, every single tribute is standing between you and survival so letting one die without having to kill them yourself is a win-win scenario that you should absolutely take advantage of.

Still, though, how can I know someone need help and not to everything I can too? I mean if our positions were reversed and I was calling to someone for help I'd hope that they'd be able to look past the reality of the current situation and at least give me the benefit of seeing if they could help me. How much trouble can I really get into by doing that?

A serious amount of trouble stupid, like this, is the absolute worst time to put your conscience ahead of your brain. The only thing that can come of this if it is a tribute is probably a fight and god help you if it's a mutt because running into one of those monstrosities is a one-way ticket back to Seven in a box.

I know I should listen to my gut and follow the advice my brother gave me before I left and simply not get involved with something if I don't have to but I'm not sure I can do that. I mean it's not in me to ignore someone who needs help like everyone back in Seven ignored my brother and me. It's not in my nature to just keep my head down and not do whatever I can to help, even if it's a terrible idea.

"ARE….ARE YOU STILL THERE?!"

"Ye….YES, I AM. WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I….I"M NOT REALLY SURE. I WAS WALKING ALONG A PATH WHEN THE GROUND JUST COLLAPSED UNDER ME AND I BLACKED OUT WHEN I HIT THE GROUND. THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER IS WAKING UP IN PAIN AND STARTING TO CRY!"

I scan the area for any sign of where they might have been or where the hole in the ground could be hiding but I come up empty, at least I thought I did until a relatively large rock starts to slide across the sand before disappearing from sight. A few seconds later a soft thump emanates from the area and is quickly followed by another pained moan as the voice yells out again.

"DID YOU THROW A ROCK AT ME?!"

Jackpot.

"NO IT FELL ON YOU, BUT I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE NOW SO JUST HANG ON."

The voice groans an affirmation as I quickly slip my hatchet between the folds of my tunic and scamper up the side of the embankment towards the spot I last saw the rock only to be greeted by the gaping maw of a massive hole. I hesitantly peek over the edge and catch sight of what I'm pretty sure is a human lying on what looks like a set of stairs carved out of the rock below. Taking a deep breath I move fully into sight and to my immense relief, it is, in fact, another tribute lying in the hole and not a mutt. However, my relief is short-lived as after a few seconds of surveying the scene it becomes clear that whoever it is that's down there is in serious trouble. Aside from the fact that it looks like there's no easily accessible way to get down to them but her shin bone is protruding out of the mangled mess that used to be her leg, man today just keeps getting better and better.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Like I said earlier I was walking along when the ground gave out under me and I fell into this hole. The fall must have knocked me out because by the time I came to the sun was right over the opening and I was covered with sand. I tried to stand up but as you can see my leg isn't in a condition to support me and the pain from the effort is what caused me to cry."

"Well obviously your leg isn't in great shape but if you hadn't been crying I'd have never found you so it's not all bad."

"I'm glad it helped out though I'd rather it not have happened at all."

"Obviously, hold on I'm going to look for a way down to you."

I survey the area and to my disappointment there's nothing here I can use to get down to her and while I could probably use the ladder from my camp I'm not sure it's all that feasible to haul it all the way out here for this. I spend a few seconds looking around the area when I start to feel the sand beneath my feet shifting and slipping away. I quickly jump back but the force of my movement causes a small hole to appear beneath my foot and that's when I get a brilliant idea to see if I can tunnel my way out from her end.

I quickly make my way back to the hole and gingerly drop myself over the edge and onto the ground a couple of inches to her right with a small thud.

"What are you doing?!"

"Helping you, now keep quiet while I figure this out."

"Figure it out? How could you jump in the hole without having a way to get us out? Now we're both stuck here."

I quickly block out her complaining as my eyes scan up the steps looking for any sign of the small hole I made a few seconds ago and for a change luck is on my side as I finally spot a small ray of light peeking through the mound of sand and rocks covering the top of the stairs.

I slip my hatchet out of my tunic and flip it around and begin to use the end of the handle as a crude way of moving sand away and within a few minutes I've removed enough if the underlying support that the whole pile comes rushing towards me as a rush of dry air assaults my face.

It takes me a few seconds to brush the sand off me and a few more to get all the straggling grains out of my clothes but once I do I quickly make my way back towards my immobilized and very relieved looking new friend.

"See I told you I knew what I was doing."

"Well I won't doubt you again, and my name's Alden by the way."

"Alden….You're from District Nine right?"

"I am, and you are?"

"Oh right, I'm Aster and I'm from Seven."

"Well, Aster from Seven thanks for helping me. I have to admit when I woke up and saw my leg I was pretty sure I was dead but then you came along and saved me."

"Don't celebrate yet. Do you think you can stand if I help?"

"I….I'll try."

I offer her my hand and after a half a second or so of hesitation she takes it and I do my best to pull her to her feet without placing any pressure on the mangled remains of her right leg and after a little bit of finagling, I manage to get her up. Unfortunately, the second we try to move she collapses under her own weight and lets out a blood curling scream as her fractured shin explodes through the shattered remnants of her leg and digs into the side of my left calf.

I drop her almost instantly as she quickly curls into a ball on the floor and sobs while cradling the remnants of her leg. I move to check on her condition when a faint rustling sound from the bottom of the stairs catches my attention. I can't quite make out what it is but after a few seconds, the sound grows so loud that even Alden's wailing isn't enough to pierce through it.

I place my hand over her mouth and she quickly quiets down as the look of pain in her eyes is quickly replaced by one of fear. I slip my hatchet back out of my pocket and grip it tightly as I slowly back away towards the escape hole while Alden winces in pain as she tries futilely to get back to her feet.

"Please don't leave me; I'm begging you not leave me here alone Aster."

I stop for a second and try to think of a way to help her but before I can even blink an arm covered in black fur shoots out from the shadows and latches onto her good leg and starts to drag her into the darkness below. On instinct, I grab her hands and do my best to pull her away but whatever it is that's got her is significantly stronger than I am and all too quickly I find myself being dragged into the depths of darkness along with her.

"NOOOOOO ASTER PLEASE DON'T LET IT TAKE ME!"

I pull for everything I'm worth and for a few seconds it seems to be working as we slowly start to make our way back up the stairs but as soon as the mutt is pulled into the light everything changes. I'm not sure what nightmare the Gamemakers found this thing in but its entire upper body is covered in black fur and it's got the head of some kind of dog with a mouth filled with snarling teeth. Its lower body, however, is almost human and its torso is covered by some kind of skirt.

It turns its eyes towards me and lets out a vicious snarl before tearing Alden's hands out of mine and dragging her into the darkness below. I want to try to save her but I'm frozen in fear as I watch her try everything she can think of to escape the mutts grasp. Once again for the briefest of moments it looks like she's winning until the mutt grabs her right leg and digs its claws into the mangled flesh before tearing it completely off. The last sight I see before I turn and run for all I'm worth is her pale face and pleading eyes as the mutt buries its teeth in her throat and tears it out.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Lachlan Melbourne-13(D4M)**

That's got to be the fourth or fifth cannon I've heard since the bloodbath and while I'm not exactly sad to have my opponents dropping like flies I'd prefer to be on the giving end of at least a few of the departures. After all, no one wants a victor that spent the whole game lost in a stupid canyon and right now that's exactly where I am. Sure I have a couple of kills to my name so far but it's not like Sequoia and Jamie are really names that are going to stick out during my Victory Tour. Still I guess it could always be worse, I could be dead or worse have no kills at all.

My only real concern so far was finding someplace out of the wind to sleep and even though it was far from comfortable the little rock outcropping I spent the night in wasn't all that bad. After surviving the night however I decided to look for a more suitable place to rest moving forward and while I figured that would be a fairly easy task so far I haven't had much luck.

"Seriously this has to be the most ridiculously designed arena of all time. Like what's the point of having the games in an arena like this if you're not going to offer any sort of protection from the sun!?"

Maybe the Gamemakers were just lazy but this is seriously the kind of game breaking design flaw that someone at some level should have seen and found a way to correct. Like unless they wanted all of us to huddle inside the cornucopia together for protection from the heat I can't see how a flaw like this slipped through the cracks. I mean I wouldn't have been opposed to the idea of all my enemies huddling together like fish in a barrel but you'd think something like that would be something they'd be trying to avoid if they wanted the games to last a couple of days.

"Regardless this is a stupid arena and once I win and get back to the Capitol for my interview I'm going to make a point of telling everyone just how pointless and asinine this arena really is."

The thought of embarrassing the hell out of the inept Gamemakers after I win is almost enough to bring a smile to my face but the sun has turned my once perfect lips into a cracked mess and while I'm sure the sun is doing wonders for my tan I wish it didn't have to hurt to open my mouth to do so.

I slid down on top of a relatively flat rock and drop my supply pack on the ground and lay my spear across my lap before fishing my water bottle out of a side pocket and pouring half the bottle on my head and face before draining the rest in one long gulp. Part of me knows I should probably be more careful with my water supply but the fact that I've got three more full bottles in my bag makes it a little less pertinent an issue then it would be if I only had the one, and passing out from the heat wouldn't be all that good a thing for me to do either.

"Besides if I end up needing more water later I'm sure all the sponsors will be falling over themselves to help me. Hell Joyce and Allure will probably have enough money to buy me an ocean before too long."

I toss the empty bottle aside and scoop up the half eaten apple I'd been munching on earlier and take a bite just as a low-pitched rumbling suddenly sends me sprawling out on the ground. I quickly roll to the side and spring to my feet even as my hand flails about looking for the shaft of my spear and while it only takes me a couple of seconds to find it I can't help but kick myself for letting it slip from my grasp in the first place. Once I grab a hold of it and regain my footing amidst the suddenly continuously shifting sand I turn my attention towards the center of the disturbance where a human head is slowly rising out of what I can only describe as a sand whirlpool.

"What the hell is going on?"

My question goes unanswered which is probably a good thing because by the time the sand stops moving I have much more important questions then that to ask, namely what the hell it is I'm looking at. Its got the head of an incredibly beautiful woman with piercing green eyes and flowing red hair but once the head ends everything seems to take a turn for the worst as everything below her neck has a distinctly cat-like look to it. If I'm not mistaken I'd say it's almost lion-like but having only seen lions in books and with the majority of those being drawings it's hard to be sure. Regardless the body is almost certainly feline in nature, minus the wings sprouting from its back anyway, and despite the fact that it's almost certainly a mutt and obviously dangerous I can't help but find myself enchanted by its face.

"Welcome mortal, how is it you happened upon my lair?"

"Your what?"

"My lair. Or is it you've simply stumbled upon it by mistake?"

"I promise it was an accident. I never intended to trespass in your lair."

"Well, that's a bit of bad luck for you I'm afraid little mortal."

"I'm sure I'm going to regret asking this but just how exactly is this 'bad' for me?"

"Well, you can't expect to trespass in the lair of the Sphinx and not go unpunished. Or do you truly believe that little stick of yours can protect you from my wrath?"

I honestly hadn't realized that I'd taken up a defensive stance and while I'm fairly confident I could take this sphinx thing in a fight I'd much rather avoid having to do so if I can.

"Well, then how do I go about making amends for my trespassing?"

"It's simple really, I'll ask you a riddle and if you get it right I'll let you leave the way you came with my blessing."

"I'm sensing a but coming."

"Very perceptive mortal, however if you fail to answer my riddle correctly I'll feast upon your succulent flesh."

"That hardly seems like a fair proposition to me."

"Few things ever are but the choice is yours. Answer the riddle or try to fight your way out but I doubt you'd survive the struggle."

"Well I was taught never to pick a fight with a lady so I guess I don't have a choice but to accept."

"Very well mortal, simply tell me when you wish to begin and I will deliver the riddle."

"Whenever you're ready beautiful."

"Very well. There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters?"

Oh for crying out loud how the hell am I supposed to know the answer to this? Like seriously did the Gamemakers dig up the most pointlessly obscure riddle of all time to have this mutt ask people?

"This is probably a question I should have asked earlier but is there a time limit for me to answer in?"

"No, but should you try to leave it will be considered a forfeit and I will devour you."

"Well, then I'd advise you to get comfortable because I'm going to have to give this one a little thought…."

* * *

 **Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)**

I can't for the life of me figure out why we picked the hottest part of the day to start searching for other tributes. I mean given the oppressive nature of the sun inside the arena you think it would have been a good idea to wait until nightfall or at the very least evening to leave the relative safety of the cornucopia but for some stupid reason I let Aldrin and Antonia talk me into leaving in the middle of the freaking day.

"Can just say once more for the record what an incredibly dumb idea it was to leave in the middle of the day?"

"It doesn't matter how many times you say that Iona we're still not going back to the cornucopia."

"I don't remember electing you as the leader Aldrin."

"You didn't but we all agreed to head out and we all agreed that this was the time to do it. It's the only time of the day we're going to be able to move without an excess of animals and other tributes lurking about."

"I'm still not sure your logic on that is all that sound. I mean none of us has ever been in a place like this before so we have no idea how the normal wildlife would act, not to mention all the rules go out the window once the Gamemakers get involved."

"Fair point but we can't just sit around and wait in the cornucopia, no one is going to be stupid enough to come poking around there as long as we're holding it and it's a pretty crappy strategy to just sit around and hope the others decide to die quickly."

As much as I hate to admit it he does have a point, I'm not exactly fond of the idea of hunting other tributes down and killing them but in the end, everyone else is going to have to die for me to go home so I might as well get used to the idea that I'm probably going to have to help make the deaths happen.

"What do you think Antonia? You're the one with the most training after all?"

My question falls on deaf ears and the only reason I know she heard me at all was the fact that she perked up a little when I said her name. For the most part, Antonia's been just a step above a walking corpse ever since Alex died and I'm starting to wonder if my insistence that she be allowed to do the deed without help from me or Aldrin didn't backfire spectacularly. I mean she seems ok for the most part but she's said a grand total of about twenty words since yesterday and the majority of those came during the discussion about whether or not we should leave and if so then when.

I want to find a way to comfort Antonia, after all despite all of Aldrin's pushing and prodding it was me that finally convinced her to go through with it, Aldrin might have gotten her to the edge but it was me that pushed her over the precipices and down the road towards ending Alex's suffering. I'm still convinced it was the right thing to do for him but in my desire to do the best thing for him I might have inadvertently done the absolute wrong thing for her.

We continue on for a little while longer in silence until we come to a fork in the road near the base of a rather steep looking rock face.

"Well Aldrin it was your idea to come this way so which way do we turn?"

"I….I'm not sure. There's no tracks or anything like that so I'm not entirely sure which way the tributes I saw head this way ended up going."

"Well, in that case, I think we should stop and set up the tents here in the middle and decide on a path to take tomorrow."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, though. The middle of the road isn't exactly the ideal defensive position not to mention it would leave us vulnerable on a minimum of one side even if none of us sleeps tonight."

I hate to admit it but he's got a point, I'm not the most tactically proficient person in the world but even I know how bad an idea it was that I just floated. I quickly scan the far walls of the area and while nothing truly promising catches my eye at first a small opening along the far left wall near the mouth of the connecting canyon does seem to stick out for some reason.

Pulling out my sword I slowly make my way towards it only to find a set of finely cut stairs descending into the ground below.

"Guys you need to come look at this."

I wait impatiently as my allies slowly make their way over to where I'm standing but once they do it only takes Aldrin a couple of seconds to state the obvious.

"I see you've found a hole."

"It's not just a hole look at the stairs."

I point to the ground and after a couple of minutes of intense study Aldrin finally sees fit to agree with my assessment that they are indeed stairs. After finally getting his approval on the matter I slowly start to make my way down despite his hushed protests against it. Unfortunately, the stairs lead to a small tunnel but the tunnel only goes maybe ten or so yards before coming to a sudden end. The far wall is fairly impressive in its own right as it's covered with amazing pictures and carvings all surrounding a wonderfully colored series of small pictures inside what I think is an oval.

After a few seconds of looking at the wall, I feel a hand on my shoulder and it takes all my self-restraint not to spin around and drive my sword into the guts of whoever it belongs to. It's a good thing too or I'd have ended up gutting Aldrin who's currently as transfixed by the images on the wall as I was. A few seconds later Antonia joins us and I decide now's as good a time as any to push to make this our camp for the night.

"So I'm thinking we should stay here tonight."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Iona. We don't know anything about this place or what it's for."

"It's out of the sun and a thousand times more defensible than the middle of the road. Not to mention whoever's on watch can sit near the mouth and keep out of sight while having an excellent view of both paths in the off-chance the tributes you've got us following try to sneak past us."

I can tell he'd like to argue but once Antonia places her hand on his shoulder and nods her agreement he decides not to and simply offers me a very strained and bitter nod.

Plopping myself down near the art wall I quickly slip off my pack and dig out my sleeping bag fully intent on claiming the space in front of the wall before anyone else has the chance to. After all, if I'm going to be spending a little time here I might as well have something pretty and interesting to look at.

* * *

 **Luell Berring-13D5M)**

"Quanta it's like a bazillion degrees! Can't this 'patrolling' thing wait until it's cooler?"

"First of Luell, it's impossible for it to be anywhere near a bazillion degrees. If it was even a fraction that hot we'd up and melt."

"Who says I'm not melting."

"You're not melting Luell, trust me. Second the reason we're patrolling now instead of later is that this is the time of day most of the other are going to try to sneak up on us."

"Why would anyone be trying to do that in the middle of the day?"

"Because it's hot and no one would be expecting it."

"How in the world does that make sense to you?"

"It's one of those common sense logic things, besides you didn't have to tag along."

"Yes, I did."

"Why is that?"

"Because Dargo won the guess the number contest."

"Right but after he did he said it was up to you who stayed behind and who went with me."

"He did but if I've learned anything in life it's when someone offers you a choice like that after winning the right to choose themselves it's only so they don't have to be the meanie that decides. My brother Abner pulls it on me all the time with the dishes back home."

I hear Quanta offer up an amused snort at the idea of my brother tricking me into doing the dishes like that and despite how uncomfortable I am right now, I can't help but smile too. Even when we're hundreds of miles apart and I'm in the middle of the freaking Hunger Games my brother can still make me smile. I'd never tell him that of course, his already massive head would expand at least three more times if he knew that little secret.

We keep walking for a little while longer trading jokes and stories about home as we go until out of the blue Quanta grabs me by the collar of my shirt and yanks me down behind a big rock.

"What the heck was that for?!"

"SHHHH!"

She points around the corner of the rock and after a few seconds of hesitation, she peeks over the edge and motions for me to do the same. I follow suit and am immediately forced to duck back and clasp my hand over my mouth as the boy from six and the girls from two and four sit talking amongst themselves maybe fifty or so yards away at the base of the wall.

"Where did they come from?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's time to end our patrol and get back to Dargo at camp."

"W….What if they follow us?"

"We should be ok as long as we hug the wall for a little ways but we need to move as soon as they go back underground."

Part of me is curious as to how she knew they'd been underground but I'm far too scared to ask so I just sit there in fear until she taps me on the shoulder. I barely get my head turned towards her before she takes off at a near sprint back down the path we'd traversed just a few minutes ago. It takes everything I've got but I manage to catch up and even keep pace with her as the two of us run for everything we're worth. I'm not sure how we're going to survive a fight against the careers so I sure hope Quanta and Dargo can come up with a plan because if it's left up to me we're screwed.

* * *

 **A/N: Well the second part of day 2 is now complete and as you can see things are starting to get super good. First off just a little note I took the design for the Sphinx from the Greek version more than the Egyptian as I felt like a female would work better with Lachlan's personality and because I wrote its part before I realized I'd used the wrong type.**

 **Anyway I don't really have questions per say but I am interested to see if anyone can solve the riddle of the Sphinx. There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters?**

 **If you know the answer go ahead and comment it but no cheating lol.**

 **Other then that as always please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and the story and I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend for the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt

 **Kill Total**

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

3- Mutt

1- Fern(Suicide)


	23. Life's Not Fair(Day 2 Part 3)

**Joyce Davidson(District 4 Mentor)**

I've been watching Lachlan's personal channel for what seems like forever and at first I thought maybe he'd be able to get himself out of another tight spot but as the seconds bleed into minutes and the minutes stretched into hours I've started to feel less and less confident about his chances. I'm not giving up per say but I can tell that Allure has, she's spent the last little while calling every donor on our list to make sure they stay committed to District Four once Lachlan's inevitable end finally arrives.

"Babe you can stare at that screen all night but it's not going to make a difference. In the end, Lachlan's either going to answer right or he's not so there's no use in making yourself sick over him."

I know she's right but I can't help it that I don't want to see him die. I mean if it had come down to him dehydrating and dying or getting killed in a fight it'd be a completely different story but we never prepared them for something like this. I mean the majority of the training back in the center is dedicated to survival skills and combat not mind games and riddles, how the hell are we supposed to prepare them to face something like this?

"You're right Allure, but I just can't help feeling that this isn't fair. How is he supposed to study and remember riddles with everything else going on in his life at his age?"

"It's not supposed to be fair baby it's just the way things are."

"Still couldn't we send him a gift and print the answer on the slip or something?"

"I already thought of that but because of the situation he's currently in the cost of sending him anything has skyrocketed, we couldn't afford to send him a book of matches let alone a message. I'm afraid he's on his own in this one."

I figured that would be the case but it's still disheartening to hear it. Taking one last regretful look at his happy face and fear filled eyes I toss the control in Allure's direction before slipping out of the room and pouring myself a drink. By the time I get back she's got the screen on Iona's channel and to my surprise it looks like the three of them are planning to stay in the little hole they found for the night.

"What in the world are they thinking? Why would they stop there when there's another alliance camping just a few hundred feet away?"

"Well for starters they don't know just how close the other alliance is so it makes sense that they'd want to find someplace safe to rest for the night."

"That's far from safe and you know it, with the mutts we've seen so far I'm pretty sure there's no truly safe place in the entire arena."

"There's never a safe place in the arena….Are….Are you feeling ok Joyce?"

"Huh?"

"Are you ok? You've seemed out of it the last couple of days and it's starting to concern me a little."

"I….I hadn't noticed that I'd been acting unusually."

"Well, you are. Hell, you haven't slept for more than three or four hours since we got here and I'm pretty sure you haven't slept at all since the games started."

"It hasn't been that bad and I've gotten plenty of sleep."

"We share a bed, Joyce. I feel it every time you toss, every time you turn and I feel it when you get out of bed and I hear it when you pour yourself a drink and turn on the screen to watch the feeds."

"It's….It's nothing. I'm doing fine I promise."

"Don't do this, don't shut me out Joyce."

"I'm not trying to shut you out Allure."

"I don't know what you call it when you're having a problem and you won't let someone help you through it but I call it shutting me out."

"I'm….I'm not trying to….That is I'm not sure what's….I'm sorry."

I feel myself break down in tears as she quickly throws her arms around me and plants a soft but loving kiss on my forehead as she holds me tightly. For what seems like an eternity I just bawl into her shoulder as I let out all the pent-up anger and frustration I've tried to keep buried inside me this year comes pouring out in a torrent of words and tears.

"I….I….I never thought we'd be mentoring such young tributes. I….I….I wasn't prepared for the emotional drain that comes with trying to prepare such young kids for….All this death and bloodshed."

"None of us were prepared for that babe, hell before this year the youngest tribute I'd ever mentored was fifteen and he was a decently trained volunteer. It's an emotional gut punch to have to see some many young and wonderful lives snuffed out like this. But it's what we have to do."

"Why, though? Why do we always have to be the strong ones? Why is it every time something like this happens everyone turns to us for guidance and strength? Can't they just let us worry and fret like everyone else does?"

"We don't have that luxury Joyce; victors don't get to be normal people after they win. It's part of the reason why we push the students at the center so hard. That way only those with the mental toughness to survive the games get to volunteer and to ensure they have the toughness to survive what comes after they win."

"Then I must have done something wrong because I'm a freaking mess and I'm barely holding it together."

"But you're still holding it together and that's what matters. In the end, that's what separates us from the rest of the world, we're able to keep it together when everyone else falls apart."

"I just….I wish they didn't have to be so young, so innocent. It's not fair that they're suffering for the mistakes of others."

"No it's not, but life's never been fair before so why should it start now?"

"I guess you're right, but I'm not sure if I can do this for another eleven years, though. How the hell am I going to survive this if the President keeps the age limit in place until the volunteer moratorium ends?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, together."

I can't understand how she can manage to be so cool and calm right now but I'm not really sure I want to know. Honestly, right now her calm is probably the only reason I'm not tearing my hair out while wailing like a baby. Instead, I pull her in for a kiss before turning my attention towards the split screen of Iona and Lachlan's personal feeds. I'm not sure how but I know I in my heart that I have to find a way to drag at least one of these precious children out of this blood-soaked hell hole alive, I just hope it's as easy as it seemed when I did it.

* * *

 **Lachlan Melbourne-13(D4M)**

"I'm still waiting for your answer mortal."

"I know that and I'm going to give it to you as soon as I'm good and ready."

"You should hurry then because time is running out."

"You said there wasn't a time limit."

"There's not a limit on time but rather on your ability to stay awake. Should you fall asleep before providing me an answer it's the same as a wrong answer."

"Now that's just ridiculously unfair. Why have no time limits if you're just going to punish me for falling asleep?"

"The rules are the rules, my dear, if you're not willing to follow them you shouldn't have agreed to play the game."

"You didn't give me a choice in the matter. Don't chastise me for not liking the rules when I didn't want to play the stupid game in the first place."

"If you didn't want to play you shouldn't have been trespassing mortal."

"Stop calling me mortal you stupid thing, I have a name and it's Lachlan. Learn to use it like everything else with a brain does."

"I've been very patient and fair with you so far mortal but there's only so much I'm willing to tolerate. I'd advise you to think carefully about how you talk to me before I decide to accept one of your off collar remarks as your answer and devour you."

"Hold on that's not fair either."

"The rules are what I make them so I decide what's fair and what's not mortal. Pray, I don't alter them the rules any further."

Well, I've backed myself into an ugly corner now. I was kind of hoping that the answer would come to me if I repeated the question enough in my head but so far I haven't had any luck, also, my lingering hope that Joyce and Allure would send me a gift with the answer or at the very least a way to kill this thing besides hoping I can prick it to death with my spear have also gone unanswered.

Then again maybe I shouldn't be surprised after all the games seem to have been rigged against me from the very beginning when Iona and the idiots from Two abandoned me for that reject from Six. From there everything's been downhill as I've lurched from one near disaster to the next with amazing regularity, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to find out that the Gamemakers are in on some sort of secret collusion to deny me the chance to win the games. After all how else do you explain me wandering into the one area in the arena that this Sphinx mutt just happens to call her home?

"I tire of waiting for you mortal, have you devised an answer yet or do you intend to keep me waiting until you fall asleep?"

"What happens if you fall asleep before me? Does that count as a right answer or…?"

"I do not require sleep to sustain me so there is no chance of that happening mortal."

Well, I guess I'm not going to tire her out then either. Hell Part of me is half tempted to just take my chances with a fight and see what happens. After all, at the very least I'd get to go down swinging rather than trying to guess the answer to this infuriatingly pointless and stupid riddle.

There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters? What kind of stupid person has enough time on their hands to some up with such a stupid question? The answer is probably just as stupid as the question is….Hold on a minute that's it, it has to be. I've just solved the riddle of the cat lady mutt.

"I know the answer to your stupid riddle you moron."

"Well, then mortal do not keep me waiting. What is the answer that I seek?"

"I have to admit it was pretty tough to figure out at least until I realized how pointlessly simple it probably was and stopped over thinking it. The two sisters that give birth to each other are right and wrong, every time you wrong someone they have to strive to make it right and when they do the right is born. Conversely, every time you do something right the nature of a person is to find a flaw in the right that makes it wrong, giving birth to the wrong. So the answer to your asinine question is right and wrong."

My answer seems to have taken the mutt by surprise as it spends the next minute or so simply staring at me with its enchanting golden eyes. It takes all my self-control not to let out a self-satisfied whoop at the fact that I finally saw through the stupid question but I can always celebrate in private later.

I bend down to scoop up my supply pack when I feel something wrapping around my ankle. I look down in time to see the mutt's tail finish looping around my ankle mere seconds before it jerks back and sends me sailing through the air to land at a few inches away from its claw covered paws.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Your answer was the wrong one mortal, so now I will feast on your succulent meat and drink deep from your rich and tasty blood."

I let out a terrified scream as she uses her paws to tear my tunic open before burying her face in the center of my chest. A pain unlike anything I've ever experienced before in my life quickly washes over me as a geyser of blood shoots up from my chest and covers my face with a surprisingly hot bit. A few seconds later the mutt pulls up to stare down into my eyes its face coated in my blood and my still beating heart clutched between its teeth. I try to scream again but I'm too weak and the sight of my heart oozing blood down the mutt's satisfied face is the last thing I see before the darkness finally claims my soul….

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Dargo Avene-12(D10M)**

I don't think I've ever seen Quanta so focused in the near week I've known her. I mean to hear her talk about all the cool things she tinkered with back in Three I'm sure this is only a fraction of the intensity she can bring to bear on a task but it's damn impressive none the less. Luell, on the other hand, is a nervous wreck, and honestly, if I'd been with them when they ran into the careers I might be too.

"We should be trying to get out of here not planning a fight. If we back up and hug the wall like we did earlier we can slip past them and back into the main area without having to fight."

He has a point, if we use the dark and our size to our advantage we just might be able to slip past them without having to fight, it's also probably the only way all three of us make it out of this alive. I'm not necessarily afraid to fight but I'm the only one out of the three of us with any kind of weapon skills to speak of and I don't necessarily like my chances one on one with any of the careers let alone all three.

"I've already told you Luell there's no chance we get by without being caught. Our best chance to survive is to set a trap and lure them into it."

"What kind of trap are we supposed to set without electronics, though? Everything you showed us during training required some kind of electrical trigger and a handful of parts. Unless you expect us to believe that you snuck in one of those cool little flash bomb things I'm not seeing what we can use."

"It's all a matter of leverage Luell, this entire area is covered with rocks and all sorts of deadly little things that we can use to slow down the careers. The opening to our campsite, for instance, is just one good push away from coming down and while it might not take all three of them out like an explosion would it can do enough damage to help us get away. If we get lucky it might even take one of them out too."

I can't understand what it is about Quanta that makes me willing to listen to her when every fiber of my being is screaming at me to listen to Luell but there's just something about how confident and sure she is that I can't help but follow. Then again I do see a problem with her plan and it's just a little too glaring for me not to point out.

"How can we be sure the careers will even come this way? There's another path at the fork and they could end up going that way instead of coming towards us. Not to mention that even if they do come this way there's no way to know if they'll even enter our little tunnel at all."

"He's right and that exactly why we shouldn't go through with the plan. We should be looking for a way to slip away without them noticing us so we can stay alive."

"Then what?"

Judging by the look on his face I can see the question caught Luell by surprise too but I'm not sure if what surprised me is the same thing that surprised him. Again I've only known Quanta for a few days but I don't think I've ever heard her snap at anyone like that, even when the lady doing her interview was asking insensitive questions she never bit back like she did there. The look of shock on both of our faces quickly softens her face as she quickly looks up from her work and tries to explain her question to us.

"I didn't mean for that to be snappy, but it's something we're going to have to think about, so what happens then? Do we just keep running until it's just the three of us left? How are we going to survive once our food and water runs out if all we do is hide and run?"

"Maybe we could get a couple of sponsors?"

"We'll only get sponsors by doing something Luell and you know it. No one is going to spend money to help tributes who spend all their time running and hiding. Eventually, we're going to have to do something resembling fighting if we want to survive and this is the safest way for us to do it."

I know she's right and I think that's the part that hits me hardest, the thought that no matter how hard we try to stay out of the fighting eventually we're going to have to take part in it no matter how much we'd rather not. The worst part of it all is while I'm pretty sure Quanta might be able to hold her own as long as she can stay at a distance I'm not sure if Luell has it in him to fight at all, and if the way he's reacted to the thought of a trap doing most of the work for us is any indication I'm probably right.

"She's right Luell, we're going to have to fight eventually we might as well do it on our terms instead of someone else's."

"Fine, then I give up if you're both dead set on doing this then I'm with you. SO how do we make this plan of yours work Quanta?"

"Well for starters we're going to need to weaken the pieces of wood supporting the door frame. Once we loosen them up I'll wrap the rope around the wood and two of us should be able to yank it down on top of anyone who walks inside."

"You said two people should be able to pull the rocks down on the careers?"

"That's right, you and Dargo should be able to do that while I play the bait. Now you're going to want to try to wait for me to get away from the entrance before you pull it down but if I' being followed too close you might have to do it with me inside the impact zone."

"Hold on a second, who says you need to be the bait?"

"It's my plan Dargo so it's only fair that I play the bait."

"It may be your plan but we all know you're the slowest one in the group. If we need someone fast enough to get out-of-the-way before the rocks come down it should be me."

"No, we're going to need your muscle behind the pull if we're going to pull it off. I'm sorry Dargo but it's going to have to be me."

I can tell this might get ugly if we have to argue about it, if Quanta's anything it's stubborn and once she decides she's going to do something she's either going to do it or try until she can't try anymore. Fortunately, we're spared the argument by the most unlikely of heroes, Luell.

"I'll be the bait then."

His offer takes me by complete surprise and it throws Quanta for enough of a loop that for the first time since I met her that's she's legitimately stunned silent. For a couple of seconds, I'm not sure I honestly heard him right as it's just not the kind of thing I expected to hear out of Luell, especially not after fighting so hard not to do it at all. Finally, I'm able to fight through my shock enough to ask the one question both Quanta and I have to be thinking.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you volunteer to be the bait?"

"Someone's got to do it and if it's strength we need on the rope the two of you are better suited for it than I am."

"Dargo is definitely the strongest one here but there's not much difference between you and me Luell. It really should be me playing the bait."

"No, it shouldn't, you can't make on the fly adjustments if your playing bait. The plan has the best chance of working if you and Dargo stay back and let me draw them into the trap."

I can tell Quanta still wants to argue with Luell about this but I carefully grab her arm and silently plead for her not to and after a few seconds of silent arguing she finally relents and offer Luell a begrudgingly approving nod.

"Ok, Luell we'll do it your way. So I was thinking it would be smart to place you close enough that they can see you but far enough away that you'll have a head start. Now the trick is going to be drawing them in without giving away the trap so you'll need to act terrified the entire time they're chasing you…."

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

I can't believe how long it took us to get back to the cornucopia, then again considering I wasn't running for my life like I was last time maybe it shouldn't be as surprising as it is. I mean we didn't run into anything that was trying to kill us on our way here and despite the one cannon that caught me off guard and made me yelp a little everything's gone relatively smoothly and that's the most unnerving part of it all.

"I can't believe we haven't run into anyone yet. Doesn't that seem odd to you Audrie?"

"A little but honestly I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so I'm not complaining."

"A gift what?"

"It's a saying my mom and dad use to chastise us for questioning the reason something good happened. It's kind of a reminder to take the gifts you're given and not worry about why."

I wish I was as able as her to dismiss our amazing run of luck so far but I just can't seem to shake the nagging feeling that something is about to go very wrong, our luck can't keep going as good as it is forever after all.

Still I can tell I'm not going to get anywhere talking to Audrie about it right now so I let the matter drop and a few minutes later we run across the starting pedestals and she motions for me to stop and crouch down next to her behind one of the outer plates.

"Ok it doesn't look like anyone's inside but that doesn't mean there's not. I'll circle around and make my way to the left side while you take the right. Once we're both in position I'll bang on the side a couple of times to draw anyone who might be inside out. If anyone does come out and advances on me I'll be counting on you to take them out when their backs are turned."

"What if there's more than I can handle?"

"There should be but on the off chance, there is we should be able to hear them coming before they actually get there. If that's the case make a run back towards camp while I try to lose them in the dark."

"You know this plan is incredibly dangerous for you right?"

"Someone's got to take the chance, might as well be me. Unless you're volunteering for the job that is?"

"Not….Not necessarily. I was just making sure you knew how far you were sticking your neck out there is all."

"Indeed, I do, but nothing ventured nothing gained."

"That another of your parent's sayings?"

"It is. Are you ready?"

I offer her a silent nod and she returns it before slipping her knife out of her pocket and quietly creeping up on the right side of the cornucopia and because we're trying to be quiet it takes us significantly longer to make it across the formerly supply covered sand then it should have. Once we make it across though it only takes her a couple of seconds to sprint around the back and peek around the other side. Once she's in position she offers me a questioning look and after a couple of seconds of hesitation I nod back and she proceeds to pick up a rock and slam it against the side of the cornucopia a half a dozen times in quick succession before dropping it and dropping into a combative crouch.

After maybe a minute or two of waiting she pokes her head around the corner and gazes into the empty darkness of the cornucopia before taking a couple of tentative steps inside.

"It's empty Connor, you can come on in."

I let out a sigh of relief and quickly pocket my knife before palming my flashlight and heading around the corner into the rather cavernous confines of the cornucopia. It takes me a few seconds to find Audrie standing near the back and it's only after I've made my way back to join her that I realize just how empty the cornucopia is.

"Well, they did a relatively good job cleaning this place out didn't they?"

"Looks like it. I mean there's a couple of gallons of water and a couple of crap weapons but outside of that, everything's been pretty much cleaned out."

I knew something terrible was bound to happen and as far as terrible results go this has to be one of the worst that we could have run across. Then again if only coming out of this with a little extra water and some other odds and ends without having to fight for it then maybe it's not the disaster I thought it would have been.

Before I have a chance to comment though I'm cut off by the blaring of the anthem and the both of us quickly scamper outside to see who the two cannons from earlier belonged to. We make it outside just as the seal fades away and is replaced by the cocksure grin of Lachlan.

I'm honestly floored by the fact that one of the cannons belonged to him, I always figured that out of everyone left alive he'd be the one to beat if only because he's solo and didn't have to worry about betrayal or splitting supplies. A few seconds later his face fades away and is replaced by the unsure but happy grin of the girl from Six whose name I never really bothered to learn. A few seconds later her face fades away as well and is replaced by the seal before that too fades away and the sounds of the night quickly reclaim the night.

"Wow, I never figured Lachlan would go out so soon."

I only have listened to Audrie as she recalls a story about how confident and sure of himself he seemed when she talked to him during training and it's not until she tosses a rock at my head that I snap out of my trance like state and notice that she's moved back into the cornucopia.

"I don't care if you take first watch but you should probably come inside to so it."

"What do you mean first watch?"

"Well, there's no reason to try to trek back to Topaz and Archie in the dark so we might as well sleep here tonight and head back in the morning."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"So wandering around in the dark with our hands full of supplies is a better one?"

"Well, not when you put it that way."

"I'm glad we agree, so do you want the first or second watch?"

"Well I'm not tired so I guess I'll go first, as long as that's ok with you?"

"Sounds good to me, go ahead and wake me up in a few hours then."

I offer her an affirmative nod and within a few minutes she's wrapped up in a tarp in the back snoring away. I slide down next to the mouth of the cornucopia and settle in for what I'm going to assume is going to be a rather sleepless night.

* * *

 **A/N: First off I want to apologise for the lateness of this chapters posting, I ran into a couple of family issues this weekend that prevented me from posting when I'd originally planned so I hope you'll all forgive me for that.**

 **Now once again I don't necessarily have any questions persay but as always I absolutely adore reading everyone's comments and reviews so please let me know what you think and I'll see you all later this week for the beginning of Day 3 and the showdown between Bulls and Bombs and the Careers :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Sphinx Mutt

 **Kill Total**

4- Mutt

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

* * *

2- Lachlan

1- Fern(Suicide)


	24. The Monsters Within(Day 3 Part 1)

**Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

That's two, two different people I tried to help are dead and the only thing they had in common was me. So far anyone I've shown even the smallest kindness too has ended up dead and both times I managed to escape with a couple scratches and a shattered heart. Maybe I'm just not meant to be able to help, hell at this point I'm almost convinced that I'm cursed.

I mean I've never been one to believe in curses or good and evil and while surviving some of the more difficult times I've endured in my life has made me a little cynical this is the first time I can say I truly feel like something outside of the normal ball of suck that's been my life might be at work. Then again maybe I'm just finally seeing the world for what it is, a screaming hell hole bent on destroying anything and everything good and pure I come across.

"Just accept it Aster, you're never going to know what it's like to be truly happy."

"That's not true, I've been happy before and once I win the games I'll be able to make mine and my brothers lives as good as they deserve to be."

"Do you really believe that? I mean do you honestly think that Erik is going to let you and Larch go without being compensated for all the time and money he put into keeping the two of you alive?"

I'm not sure; I mean Erik was never the nicest guy in the world but I never really gave much thought to what would happen to Larch or me if I actually won the games. Hell until last night I'd never even thought about what winning would really mean, outside of a better life for my big brother and a place to call home it was as abstract a thought as walking on the moon or not going to bed hungry has been, but after seeing Lachlan's face in the sky last night the realization that I very well could win started to sink in, and for some reason it terrifies me.

"Of course, it does. How could a sniveling little worm like you even comprehend the seismic shift winning the games would have on you and your District? How are you going to get your brother away from Erik without upsetting the order of things?"

I guess I never really thought of it. Honestly, I'm not sure if Erik will ever feel truly compensated for what he did for us and while I'm sure he'd be willing to put a monetary value on it would never be a price I could pay outright. Then again maybe the chance to be the 'foster father' of a victor and the latitude that comes with being related to the Capitol darling would be enough for him, after all his biggest worry over the last couple of years has been the ever increasing pressure from the revolving door of peacekeeper inspectors that have tried to shut him down.

"You really think he's going to be happy with one year of cover? Why settle for one year when he can hold your brother and leverage him against you for a lifetime? Think of the money and privilege he could extort from you with such a simple thing."

Maybe he would, but then again he might not and if there's one thing that's absolutely and completely out of my control right now it's what's going on inside Erik's stupid head. Right now I have to focus on me and winning the games, it also might be marginally beneficial for me to stop getting everyone I come in contact with killed.

"Haven't we gone over this once already stupid? It's not possible for you to even say hello to someone without getting them killed. Face it you're just a walking death trap and everyone you come in contact with is destined to die and die painfully."

These stupid voices in my head are starting to get on my nerves but they aren't exactly wrong, at least not this time anyway. I mean so far all I've managed to accomplish has been not getting myself killed for two days despite the fact that death seems to follow me everywhere I go. Maybe it's just better if I avoid going near people and just hope that the games pass me by without the Gamemakers sending a mutt or herding another tribute into my toxic presence.

Then again the ability to survive in situations where others fall can be a big selling point to sponsors in the Capitol or at least that's what James and Orchid told me anyway. Maybe it's time for me to embrace the part of my life I've been trying so hard to bury, the part of me that's been shown half a dozen ways to kill a man with my bare hands without leaving a mark, maybe it's time for me to embrace the monster that life and Erik have been trying to turn me into.

"You a monster, do you really think you have what it takes to cause the kind of pain and suffering Erik does for fun? Do you really think such a meek and timid little lamb like you can truly strike fear into anyone let alone the other surviving tributes?"

Maybe I can and maybe I can't but I'm absolutely certain that moping around will only get me killed and this is really the only other option I have left. In the end, it's the only card I still have to play so I might as well play it and see what happens. I'm going to unleash the monster within and whether I win or I lose at least I'll go down swinging and in life that's all anyone can really ask for, the chance to go down fighting the inevitable with everything you've got. I just hope I can still recognize myself if I make it through to the other side.

* * *

 **Bryn Snowdon-13(D3M)**

Today is not shaping up to be a very good day, I mean nothing's gone wrong so far per say but I can't shake the nagging feeling that something about today is just off. I wonder if this is what Leo meant by fear, or is this the time when I'm supposed to be brave and courageous despite my misgivings? Well if I make it back I'm going to have to have a talk with Leo about being so vague, I mean it's kind of funny when he's doing it to someone else but when it's me it's a little bit annoying, but I could just be overreacting.

Regardless of that and this increasingly troublesome gnawing feeling I've got in the pit of my stomach I know I can't just keep sitting in this little hole I found, after all, there's no chance in hell the Gamemakers are going to let me just hang out and let the games pass me by. The last time they ended up with a victor that spent the whole time hiding my mom said President Snow executed the entire staff for letting it happen and since then no one without at least a couple of kills has even come close to winning.

I can't believe I'm even thinking about winning, sure I told my family I'd try and Leo made me promise to try really hard to win but I never imagined I'd have made it this far. I've already outlasted eleven other tributes as it is and for the first time since I was reaped, I'm starting to think I might have an actual chance of making it out of here alive. I mean there's so much I could do to make mine and my family's lives better if I win not to mention Leo and I finally won't have to steal books to read, heck if I manage to win this I'm going to have a library that would put the one in the training center to shame.

I quickly find myself consumed with the thoughts of all the amazing things I'll be able to learn once I have my own library even as I gather up my limited supplies and start to slowly crawl down the cramped little hole that leads to my hiding spot. Once I finally get back outside into the open air and sunshine I immediately remember why I hated being outside so much, the air is hot and stale and leaves an awful taste in the back of my mouth.

Regardless I force myself to continue moving and while I have to stop a drink some water to drive the nasty taste out of my throat I manage to make some decent progress and before I know it I've made my way back down onto the main route. It takes me a couple of minutes to get my bearings back after not being outside in over a day, the fact that the last time I was out here I was running for my life and not paying even the slightest bit of attention to my surroundings or where anything was. However, my memory's not nearly as bad as I like to think it is and I manage to straighten myself out rather quickly and before I know it I'm slowly but surely making my way back towards the center of the arena and the cornucopia, at least I'm pretty sure I am anyway.

I've gone maybe half a mile or so when I catch sight of someone or something stumbling across the breadth of the road a few hundred feet away. Almost immediately my gut starts screaming at me to run and hide but for some unimaginable reason I can't get my brain to agree, it's like some stubborn little part of my psyche is trying to convince the rest of me to hold on and see who or what it is.

"Really, this is when you pick to start being brave Bryn, seriously?"

I can't believe I'm letting myself talk me into investigating what this thing is and what it's doing, still despite my gut almost bellowing at me to turn around and find someplace safe to lay low I can't stop myself from inching ever closer towards the stumbling shadow. After closing maybe a third of the distance between myself and whatever it is I start to hear a low but distinctly human murmur coming from the general direction of the figure and while I'm relieved that it's not a mutt the sound only heightens my sense of danger.

"Well, now we know it's a human so we can leave now. I mean seriously Bryn this is the time to invoke that 'fear' side of the rock Leo gave you."

Again though my brain doesn't seem to agree with my better judgement and every time I try to argue the merits of Leo's advice all I can manage to conjure up is the fact that on the other side of that rock it says courage. So knowing full well that it's an absolutely stupid and terrible idea I do my best to shake my fears as I slowly close another few feet between me and the mumbling shadow.

"They're everywhere, hiding in the sun and in the shade. Around every corner, in front and behind. Nowhere is safe, nowhere."

I do my best to stay quiet and just listen as the person that I'm pretty sure is a girl continues to go on about the things in the shadows that are hunting her. Again I try to convince myself that enough is enough and it's time to go and after listening to her rant for a couple of minutes my brain finally agrees with my gut as I start to slowly back away. Unfortunately, my best effort at stealth is undermined when I back into a rock and while I'm pretty sure it didn't do any real damage it did scare me enough that I let out a small squeal.

I quickly clamp my hands over my mouth but the damage is already done as the girl swings her head around and I'm shocked to see the once pretty face of the girl from Twelve staring back at me her wide fear filled eyes bloodshot and her face streaked with the salt from her tears. I raise my hand in a vain attempt to alleviate her concern but quickly turn and run as she lets out a blood-curdling screech before charging towards me in a rage.

* * *

 **Brooke Kolstad-13(D12F)**

The mutts are still following me and now they've sent a bigger one to try to sneak up on me, but I won't go down without a fight. I watched my big brother die begging for his life, I had to watch Brenton puke his life away while begging to be saved but I won't go out like that.

I had a sinking feeling that the mutt from mine and Brenton's camp had been following me or at the very least another of its ilk and that's why I haven't stopped moving since Brenton died because if I don't stop the mutts can't catch me. Unfortunately, my feet are bruised and I'm cut up from deliriously crashing into rocks but I can't stop to take care of it, not with the mutts hot on my tail. However despite all my effort to stay one step ahead it looks like one of them has finally got me cornered and now comes the moment of truth, will it be me that dies or the mutt.

"Why is the stupid thing running and not fighting me?"

I mean really what kind of mutt stalks someone for this long and then doesn't attack unless….Unless it's toying with me. That's gotta be it, it's trying to lure me back into its friends that's the only reason it would be running and not fighting and I was stupid enough to fall for it too. Now my only chance to stop it and the others from stalking me is to catch it and kill it before it gets away or worse finishes leading me into its trap. Luckily this particular mutt is a whole lot slower than I'd been expecting and despite my bruise covered feet and legs screaming at me to stop and rest I manage to overtake it before it can round the bend into the heart of the arena.

I'm running on pure adrenaline and acting on my basest instinct as I reach out and grab a fist full of its hair that I manage to use to yank its feet out from under it and send it sprawling to the ground with a thud. Once I've got it down on my level I quickly drop my knee and all my weight onto its stomach even as I tighten my grip on the little battery operated lantern I've been carrying around ever since Brenton died. Summoning all the strength and fury I can muster I swing it back behind my head before bringing it down in the center of the mutts face as hard as I can again, and again, and again.

"GAH….STOP….PLEASE STOP."

The mutts begging is music to my ears as I let out a terrified screech even as I continue to bring my little lantern down on its evil face over and over again. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the mutt stops struggling and falls silent and still and while I'm pretty sure I've beaten it I deliver a few extra shots to its face just to make sure it's really done and not just playing dead.

I try to jump back to my feet but the pain in my legs finally catches up with me and all I manage to accomplish is my falling on top of the mutt which elicits a pained moan from its shattered lips. The sound is music to my ears and I can't help but smile, finally, after two days of being hunted like a dog I finally got one over on these monsters and what's more I managed to handle one competently in a fight. For a moment everything seems to be going right for the first time since the reaping, that is until the mutt starts to cry.

The first few sobs catch me by surprise and it takes me a minute to understand just what's happening, the mutt I just beat to a pulp is crying. In a near panic, I drop my lantern and try to wipe as much dust and dirt out of my eyes as I can and when I finally get a good look at the body beneath me it takes all my strength not to scream in terror. Instead of the broken body of a mutt, I find the tear soaked blood and bone covered face of the boy from three staring back at me and it's only as the light starts to fade from his tear filled eyes that I realize what it is I've done.

Stumbling to my feet it takes every last ounce of strength I have left in my body to stand up straight and look away from the body of the boy I'd just mauled but once I get a look at my hands and the side of my lantern I lose control of myself and fall back to my knees and wretch….

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Archie Razida-13(D8M)**

I just can't sit here and wait anymore, not when my allies could be in trouble. I know Connor told me to stay put and Audrie asked me to look after Topaz but dammit I can't just sit here and do nothing anymore. Hell at this rate the games will be over and the next time I see either of my female allies again will either be enemies or their faces will be smiling down from the stars. However I can't do this alone, the girls took the knives with them when they left and the only weapon we still have is the short sword neither of the girls wanted to take with them and while I'm not sure Topaz would be any better with it then I am at least he's got a semi-decent understanding of how to use the stupid thing.

"Topaz, Topaz are you awake?"

"The room echoes so you don't have to shout, also yes I'm awake."

"Did you hear the cannon a few minutes ago?"

"Why else would I be awake?"

"I….Fair point. Anyway, I'm a little worried about who it belonged too."

"You mean you're worried it was Connor's or Audrie's."

"Well yeah, I mean they said they'd be back before dark and that was, this time, yesterday."

"What are you trying to say?"

Man either this kid can't read between the lines or he's intentionally trying to make me mad. I mean seriously it doesn't take a genius to catch onto what I'm trying to say especially considering where we are. Then again he's been a little out of it since the bloodbath and he's only just recently stopped sweating and throwing up so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised that he's still a little out of it.

"I'm saying that not only am I worried about Connor and Audrie but I'm worried about us too."

"Why are you worried about us?"

"They took most of the food and water when they left because they planned to bring more back, but what happens if they don't come back? What happens if that cannon was for one of them and the other is hurt or on the run or even worse was the one that caused the cannon in the first place?"

"Connor and Audrie are friends Archie, there's no reason for them to hurt one another."

"Topaz look at where we are, being here is reason enough to turn on a friend if you see the chance too."

"Aud….Audrie wouldn't do that. She had the chance to turn on us before and she didn't and I don't believe that she'd do it now, that's not who she is."

"Fine but that doesn't mean that Connor wouldn't."

"Do you really distrust your district partner that much?"

That's a good question and I honestly don't know the answer to it either. On the one hand, Connor hasn't missed a chance to rub it in my face how big a risk she took inviting me into her alliance with Audrie and Topaz but despite all that she's never really given me a reason to think she'd betray me, but you never know either. After all, this is the Hunger Games and she wants to win and go home just as bad as the rest of us and I've seen more than my fair share of tributes end up dead in the few years I've had to watch because they trusted their allies too much or for too long.

"I trust her enough to know that I shouldn't count on her staying loyal forever, and honestly that's how you should look at Audrie too."

"Audrie wouldn't do anything to hurt us, not you, not me, not anyone Archie."

"Maybe not now, but what about when it's only you between her and home. Do you really think she'd pass up the chance to go home? Do you think Connor or I would either?"

"Is this going anywhere Archie or are you just chiding me for believing in the good in people like my mentor Hank? Because honestly I've had my fill of being called foolish and naive and could definitely do without hearing it from you too."

"I….That wasn't….I didn't mean to come off as….I was only trying…."

"It's ok Archie I know you're just trying to think logically and that I need to start doing it too, I just have trouble believing that someone like Audrie, someone who gave up a spot in the best alliance around on two separate occasions to stick with us, to stick with me would ever be ready and willing to kill me. I was always taught to look for the best in people and it's hard for me to think about the bad when I'm so focused on finding the good."

"Topaz I never meant to say that…."

"It's fine Archie, I just….I hate being here. I hate being here and having to go through all of this, being forced to look at people as commodities to be used and discarded. To have to look at every friend as a future enemy and never knowing when they'll cross over from friend to enemy. Wondering when I'll have to cross that line and if I'll be able to do it. Worrying about what I'll look like and who'll I'll be on the other side. But I'm sure you don't care to listen to me complain about my problems, no one else does so why would you?"

"Topaz I don't mind letting you vent if you need to do it."

"Well thank you, but we do have bigger things to worry about."

"Right, the girls."

"So I assume you have a plan then, that is why you were talking about them isn't it?"

"I….Well sort of. As long as you're up to it that is."

"Well I still can't hold down more than a couple of crackers and a little water but I haven't thrown up in a couple of hours. I'm still in pretty rough shape but I think I can manage, what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we should go look for them but I don't want you to tag along if you're not up to it."

"If you go I don't really have a choice but to tag along."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we have one little bottle and about three-quarters of a gallon of water left and neither of us is surviving very long in this heat without the gallon. I can't let you go out into the heat without it and you can't leave me here without it either. The way I see it our fates are tied to each other and the water so where one of us goes the other two have to follow."

"I can't argue with that but I'm still not sure you're up to going Topaz."

"Well, it's not up to you it's up to me. So do you want to carry the water or that stupid sword the girls left us?"

* * *

 **A/N: Well that's a wrap on the first part of Day 3 and because good things come to those who wait I decided to delay the Bulls and Bombs vs Career fight until the next update, I hope no one minds :p**

 **That update should be up this weekend as I've managed to finish up my finals and my reports ahead of schedule so I'll be able to write on a semi normal schedule for the next little while. Other then that as always please review and let me know what you think and I'll be looking for all of your smiling faces this weekend at the next update! :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Sphinx Mutt

13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad

 **Kill Total**

4- Mutt

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Brooke

* * *

2- Lachlan

1- Fern(Suicide)


	25. The Best Laid Plans(Day 3 Part 2)

**Luell Berring-13(D5M)**

I can't believe I let myself get talked into this, I mean I've let myself get roped into a lot of crazy plans and schemes in my life but this has to be the single most outrageous one yet. Sure the plan seems sound and I can't for the life of me find a real flaw in our goal per say but it still seems a little far-fetched to me. Then again I've never been the most tactically proficient person and outside of humor and sarcasm, I've never been much of a judge of character or personality so maybe I'm just not seeing the opportunity Quanta and Drago are.

"Ok, Dargo is just about finished tying off the trap so if you have any last-minute questions before you head out this is the time to ask them."

I have a zillion questions honestly, but I'm not sure any of them are really worth asking. After all, I'm the one that talked Quanta into letting me play the bait so I don't want to give her any reason to doubt my ability or commitment to doing so right before we set the board in motion. Then again my dad always told Abner and me the only stupid question is the one you don't ask, but he's never been in the arena before so I'm not sure how applicable his advice is in this situation.

"Luell are you sure you're ok?"

"Huh….? Oh yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well for starters you have that same 'I'm so scared I could crap myself' look you had during the individual sessions. Not to mention that this is the quietest you've been since I met you and considering how little you talk normally that's saying something."

"I'm fine Quanta, really I am. I'm just trying to prepare myself mentally for what I'm about to do."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes, but I don't want to spend what could be my last few minutes of life dwelling on this either."

"Well, then we'll just talk about the general stuff then and not about the specifics."

"The problem is all of the general things are directly connected to the specifics. It's impossible to talk about one without touching on the other."

"I see, so what specifically is it then that's got you so flustered?"

"Outside of the ten million things that could go wrong with this plan?"

"Yes, outside of those."

"Honestly I just never thought this would be something I'd be in the middle of. From the second my name was read at the reapings until this moment I never dreamed for one second that I'd be trying to get the most dangerous tributes in the arena to follow me. Like no one in their right mind wants another tribute to follow then let alone the career pack but here I am getting ready to try and get them to chase me. I never thought that this would be how it ends."

"I know what you mean, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I'd be setting a trap to kill someone. I've worked on some pretty cool little gadgets and explosives in my short life but I never thought about the practical application of them in a setting like this until just recently. The very idea that something that came out of my mind could be used to end someone else's life is terrifying to me, and if our lives weren't on the line too I'm not sure I'd have the guts to even try something like this."

"I would never have guessed you were worried, you seemed so sure and confident last night when we were planning everything."

"I'm not worried about the plan; I'm worried about what doing this means for me and what it'll mean for you and Dargo."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents always taught me to use my brain to help people yet here I am laying a trap that's fully meant to kill people and even though I know I'm supposed to feel bad about it I really don't. I mean I feel bad that someone's probably going to die and I'm a little scared that I could be the cause of it and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what my friends and family are going to think of me doing something like this, but I really don't feel bad about doing it. That probably doesn't make any sense but I'm not sure how else to explain it."

"No it makes perfect sense and I'm in the same boat. Not that I'm anywhere close to as smart as you but I've always been taught that hurting someone is wrong, but I just don't know if I really feel sorry for doing this or if I'm subconsciously trying to prepare to explain myself to my family if I make it back to Five."

I'm not sure what else there is for the two of us to say and unfortunately, it looks like Quanta feels the same way and all too quickly our incredibly awkward and uncomfortable conversation devolves into an even more awkward and uncomfortable silence. For what seems like an eternity the two of us just sit there and trade awkward glances until Dargo finally finishes putting the finishing touches on the trap and mercifully interjects himself into our silent discussion.

"Ok I think I've got everything set up but I don't think we should go back inside unless we absolutely have too. So what's next?"

We all know what's next but I'm not sure I'm any more prepared for it then I was a little while ago, hell if anything I'm probably less prepared because I've had extra time to let all my doubts and question bubble up. I try my best to bury my fears and look confident as Quanta quickly scrambles to her feet and moves to tie off the little fishing line that's supposed to serve as our trip hazard. After she finishes she motions for Dargo and me to join her by the entrance where she's currently trying to cover the rope running along the ground with enough sand to hide its presence from wandering eyes.

"Ok so let's go over everything one more time. Luell you'll head down the wadi and try and draw the careers into following you, now it's vitally important that they do follow so do whatever you have to but make sure you get them to commit."

"Got it."

"Good, now once they start chasing you make your way back up along the wadi and towards the entrance here. Now the area where we broke off the rocks is where the trip line is, we did this to make sure you can avoid it but do your best to not draw attention to the fact that you're stepping over something. Once you're over the line head as far back as you can and take cover because as soon as the careers hit the ground on the trap Dargo and I will pull the supports out from either side of the doorway and drop the rocks on their heads. Once they're out cold we'll meet you at the door and we'll scavenge what we can off them and then get the hell out of here. Any questions?"

She looks between Dargo and I a couple of times and when neither of us offers anything up she offers the two of us a small smile before throwing her arms around each of us in turn and wrapping us in a surprisingly strong and reassuring hug. After she finally pulls away from me I catch the faintest of glimpses of tears streaming down her cheeks but she brushes them away before I can be completely sure she really is crying but as she utters what may well be the final words I'll ever hear her say I can detect the faintest quivers in her otherwise confident and sure voice.

"If we all play our parts right we'll all be three steps closer to home at the end of this, just hold onto that and I know we'll get this done. Good luck to us all and we'll see you once this is over Luell."

* * *

 **Iona Harrowell-13(D4F)**

I can't help but think this is just too easy, I mean we've spent the last two days without seeing so much as a trace of anyone or anything at all and now just when we need it most we find two sets of track leading away from our camp and up into this canyon. Every fiber of my being is screaming that this has to be a trap or at the very least a concentrated effort to lure us into an ambush or a mutt attack, but I can't seem to convince Aldrin and Antonia that this might be to goo to be true.

"I'd like to state once more for the record that this is a very bad idea."

"You've made your opinion abundantly clear Iona, and Antonia and I decided against playing it safe. This is one of those cases where throwing caution to the wind is more advantageous than taking it slow."

"Ok, once more this isn't just about playing it safe or taking things slow it's just common freaking sense. We don't know who or what left those tracks and we don't know where they might be hiding. I know we have to take chances eventually but this seems like an incredibly unnecessary one to be taking especially when we don't need to take it."

"For the last time Iona we just can't sit around and wait for tributes to run across us. The Capitol has to be getting anxious for some action out of its best tributes by now."

I really wish I could poke a couple of holes in his argument but I can't for the life of me see a real flaw in what he's saying. Sure it's never a good idea to go looking for trouble like we are right now but when you have a grand total of three regular kills and a mercy kill for the entire career alliance out of the twelve or so kills so far it's not exactly a good thing.

Then again we were in an incredibly powerful position when we held the cornucopia, we had all the excess water and we controlled the only crossroads for the entire arena and we just abandoned it to go hunting. I know careers are supposed to go out and look for kills and stuff like that but it just seems wasteful to me, after all, we sacrificed Alex to win control of the cornucopia and then we just abandoned it to whoever might want it without taking advantage of what it had to offer.

Then again it's not like it really matters now anyway, it's too late to go back so there's no use in waxing nostalgic or wondering what might have been. No now it's time to devote myself to surviving the oppressively sweltering heat of the arena and hoping to end the games before we actually have to regret leaving so much of the water behind when we struck out into the arena proper.

Trying to ignore the zillionth bead of sweat to run down into my eyes I pull my canteen out of one of my inner pockets and quickly screw the lid off and gulp down the last few swallows I have before sorrowfully replacing the cap and tucking it back inside next to the little seashell I brought with me from home. I quickly find myself lost in the wonderful memories I have of the water and the cool sea breeze whipping against my face and for a small window in time the sand and the heat are gone and free and happy again.

However my happiness is all too fleeting and within just a few minutes I'm rudely torn away from my happy place and drug back into the present where a torrential downpour of sweat is currently covering my face and stinging my eyes as I try and force myself to keep walking.

"Hay can I borrow someone's water for a second? I need to get the hair and sweat out of my eyes and I'm empty."

I can hear the incredibly dramatic and overly exasperated sigh of impatience from Aldrin as he stops and takes up a lookout position at the front of our little column while Antonia takes me by the hand and gently guides me over to a rock on the edge of the trail. She helps me sit down and a few seconds later I feel the refreshing kiss of a damp cloth as she tries to wipe enough of the excess sweat off my face to adequately flush my eyes out without wasting any more water than she has to.

It takes a few minutes but eventually she manages to clear enough of the tangled mess away that I can finally see again and a few seconds later she has me looking up at the sky while she gently pours a small but steady stream of cool water into my now bloodshot eyes.

"That should help you see a bit better for the time being but you're going to need to find a way to keep the sweat out of your eyes. If we have to keep doing this every hour or so we're going to run out of water before too long."

She pulls back and asks me for my empty canteen as Aldrin paces impatiently back and forth a few feet away with his machete held at the ready even though there's absolutely nothing remotely threatening anywhere in sight. I pass Antonia my canteen and she quickly un-slings her supplies and pulls out one of our two remaining unopened gallons of water and gently sets it aside before pulling out a half-empty bottle and quickly filling her canteen as well as mine and then tossing the now empty bottle way with a slightly saddened huff.

"Could you two hurry up, at this rate the games will be over before we find anyone else?"

It's only there for a couple of seconds but I manage to catch the distinct outline of a smile on Antonia's face for the briefest of moments before it's quickly replaced by the same impassive scowl she's had since Alex died. She quickly re-packs and shoulders her supplies before extending her hand to me which I take after a half second or so of hesitation. No sooner has she helped me to my feet then Aldrin lets out a startled gasp followed by a string of surprisingly incoherent words. Fortunately, I'm spared from having to ask what he's trying to say as Antonia beats me to it by a country mile but unfortunately, her temper is much shorter than mine is and her question comes out in a snappy and slightly angry sounding remark.

"Slow down and talk like a human Aldrin, It's too damn hot for us to be playing guess what I'm trying to tell you."

I'm forced to stifle a grin as Antonia's face is hilariously contorted in a mix of anger and disbelief while Aldrin quickly scampers back to us and points towards whatever it is that's got him so worked up. For a moment my eyes just scan the area he's pointing too without any luck in seeing whatever it is he sees however after my third or fourth pass I catch a glimmer of movement out of the corner of my left eye and within a few seconds I'm locked in on the slowly retreating forum of the boy from Five.

I try to caution Aldrin against doing something rash but before I even get a word out he's darting off towards him at a near sprint. A few seconds later Antonia's taking off after them while trying to fish her darts out of her belt and despite the little voice in the back of my head screaming at me not to follow I quickly find myself pulling my sword out of the makeshift scabbard slung across my back and giving chase as well. For better or worse it looks like we're about to see the action Aldrin's been so desperate to see, I just hope this doesn't end up being as big a mistake as my gut thinks it is.

* * *

 **Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

I never thought waiting would be this hard. I have plenty of experience with slow and extremely delicate procedures like rewiring electronics and soldering connections on cards to make them do different things but something about sitting here and waiting for something specific and incredibly necessary to happen is the most impossibly nerve racking experience of my entire life. The fact that I can't talk to Dargo either hasn't helped matters but I'm not sure what exactly we'd talk about anyway, it's not like there's a whole lot left to say about what we're doing and after my little talk with Luell I'm kind of all talked out.

I guess this is supposed to be the calm before the storm Zapp warned me about, the period of calm before all hell breaks lose and the dying starts. I felt like this before the bloodbath started but I didn't realize just how painfully nerve wracking it really is to sit and patiently wait for an opponent that has no idea you're there and I guess that makes all the difference between an all out fight and a trap, with traps only the setter is nervous while during a fight everyone is.

The waiting is getting to be too much but just as I'm starting to feel like I can't take it anymore I hear the unmistakable terrified disembodied voice that belongs to Luell calling out for help and a few seconds later I hear a distinctly male but otherwise indiscernible voice taunting him. I can't make out all the words but from the few of them I do pick up I'm kind of glad I couldn't hear it all, it didn't seem all that polite after all. Knowing it's dangerous but needing a line of sight on the targets I risk a quick peek and am rewarded by the sight of Luell running for all he's worth followed by the career trio in a closed but noticeably staggered line running after him.

I quickly duck back down behind my rock and brush away a couple of stray tears before wrapping my rope around my hand and pulling it up to my chest. After a few seconds, I slip my feet underneath my legs and push myself up into a crouching kneel and pulling the rope as taught as I can without exposing what Dargo and I haphazardly tried to bury in the sand.

A few seconds late my breathing has become labored and terrified as the longer I wait the more my mind wanders to the laundry list of potential tragedies that could have befallen Luell in the maybe minute and a half since I last saw him and while most of them are outrageous and completely impossible given the distinct lack of a cannon blast I can't stop my mind from wandering and the more it does the more and more anxious I become.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity I hear the distinctive sound of footfalls on the surrounding stone as Luell and his pursuers transition from the soft sand to the solid stone surrounding the entrance and despite everything I can't help but let myself breathe a small sigh of relief, despite all my worries and concerns it's starting to look like this plan might actually work. Unfortunately, my joy is short lived as a few seconds later I hear the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the ground which is quickly followed by a shriek of terror as the boy from Six grabs Luell by the collar of his shirt and jerks him back to his feet.

"You little shit. You ran all the way out here and made us chase you all this way just to trip and fall, that's got to be the most pathetic way to go I've ever seen."

I'm tempted to pull the rope but the sound of more footsteps causes me to hesitate for a fraction of a second but it's during that fraction that I finally remember the two other figures that had been chasing Luell and the boy from Six.

"You didn't have to chase me, you could have just let me go."

"We both know that's not how this works, no one just lets someone get away. Not this late in the Game."

"Well, then I'm not sure why you're bitching about having to chase me, isn't that part of the game at this point too?"

"You're a little smart ass aren't you?"

It's only now as my plan starts to unravel that I realize just how stupid an idea it had been in the first place, how could I ever have been so stupid to think that this was going to work? Now because of my bone headed idea Luell and Dargo are going to die and I'm the only one with an actual escape route. Not that I'm like to get very far up the side of the wadi before one of the careers kills me too but at least I've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting away which is more than I can say for Luell or Dargo. Why did I have to be so stupid?

"Stop taunting him Aldrin, just kill him and get it over with."

"Let me have a little fun Iona, after all, he's the one who led us on a marathon run only to fall flat on his face. After running that hard in this obnoxious sun I deserve to have a little fun."

"Y….You…..You should lis…."

"What's that, I can't hear what you're trying to say?"

"If you're going to ask him questions then stop choking him, dumbass."

A fraction of a second passes in silence only for it to be immediately shattered by the ragged sound of Luell drawing in a massively jagged and obviously long denied breath that's quickly followed by the one thing I never expected to hear out of Luell in a situation like this, a snicker.

"Haven't you been taught not to play with your food?"

In the blink of an eye, I hear a strained grunt followed by a thud and the sound of feet hitting the ground and running back into the tunnel. For a moment, I'm not sure what happened but a few seconds later the boy lets out an infuriated bellow as he starts to head into the tunnel with his allies hot on his heels.

"Little shit kicked me in the nuts, now I'm going to make his death hurt. He was just going to die but now it's going to be painful."

A few incredibly tense and heart-wrenching seconds tick by before the one thing I wanted to hear less than a cannon finally graces my ears.

"DO IT NOW! QUICKLY BEFORE THEY GET AROUND!"

I spring out from behind my rock with hot tears streaming down my face and my half of the rope clenched tightly in my hand while Dargo does the same. He offers me a questioning glance and for a second I'm not sure what we're supposed to do, and just as I'm about to drop my rope and run after Luell I see Dargo give his rope a strong but determined tug as the first stream of tears start to drip off his chin in a slow but steady line. Driving the fear and doubt from my mind I pull too and once the last of the supports are torn violently out-of-place the rocks from above start to fall in the same slow but steady stream as the tears rolling down my face.

~BOOM~

~BOOM~

~BOOM~

~BOOM~

* * *

 **A/N: Well after a short delay mostly do to my need to watch the second episode of Game of Thrones I present you the seconds part of Day 3. I hope it was worth the wait. Well there you have it the epic showdown between the Careers and Bulls and Bombs and while I'm sure there are a couple of unhappy people with the results I hope it met the expectations all of you had for the fight :)**

 **I don't have any questions but as always please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and I hope to see all of your smiling faces later this week for the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Sphinx Mutt

13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad

12-D6M- Aldrin Derino-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

11-D5M- Luell Berring-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

10-D4F- Iona Harrowell-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

09-D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

 **Kill Total**

4- Mutt

4- Quanta

1- Brooke

* * *

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Fern(Suicide)


	26. The Good and The Bad(Day 3 Part 3)

**Wren Roxen(District 10 Mentor)**

"Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"Because he's the mentor of our only remaining tributes ally Wren. Honestly, we've put this off for too long as it is and since we're going to have to do it eventually we might as well strike while the iron is hot."

"Ok, but why can't you do it? Zapp can't stand me and you know it so why even include me?"

"Zapp doesn't like anyone, he's old and bitter and he's never brought home a tribute in forty years as a mentor. Would you like anybody if you were in his shoes?"

"Probably not, but it still doesn't change the fact that he hates me more than anyone else."

"He doesn't hate you Wren."

This argument isn't going to get me anywhere so there's no use in continuing it. After all, I highly doubt Paige would believe me if I told her some of the things Zapp said to me before. I mean I was just doing my job as a mentor when I asked him how he wanted to coordinate sponsor gifts and supplies between our tributes alliance and he was way out of line for how he bit my head off.

"He might not hate me but he sure as hell doesn't like me either. If he did you wouldn't have insisted on coming with me."

"I insisted on coming with you because if I hadn't you wouldn't have talked to him. You've never been one top play nice with the other mentors and for the most part, that's never affected any of our tributes, but Dargo is in a completely different situation than we're used to seeing."

I can't believe she's playing that card again, I mean sure I'm not the most outgoing or friendly mentor around but I'm far from the reclusive shut-in Zapp is. I may not have Paige's natural grace or social skills and I'll never be as good as she is at pulling in sponsors and keeping them committed but I'm far from a liability. I'm the one that handles the lion share of the actual training every year and while I'd be lost if I had to navigate the intricate inner workings of the sponsor system without her she'd be just as lost in training without me.

However, there's no need to wander back down this well-worn path because neither of us is willing to admit just how much we need the other to do our job. I know how much I rely on Paige's connections with other mentors and the Capitol citizens but I'm sure as hell not going to tell her that to her face, not in public anyway. Instead, we keep gently trying to nudge our way through the crowded foyer of the sponsor gift control center while keeping an eye out for Zapp. Finally after what seems like an eternity of being pushed and shoved by every other person while also fending off the unwanted touches of the others we manage to find Zapp in a small booth in the corner of the room where he's poring over the gift list.

"There he is, now even though you forced me to do this I'm begging you to please do the talking. Knowing me I'll probably say something stupid at exactly the wrong time and this will blow up in our faces."

"Fine I'll do the talking, but you'll own me one."

"Wouldn't this make us even for the one you owe me?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Why the hell not"

"Because the idea of talking to him makes you uncomfortable enough that I can leverage this for a whole lot more than just one."

"That's low Paige, even for you."

"Well if you'd rather do the talking hen I'd be more than happy to let you."

I hate it when she gets like this, she's so smug and cocky it's almost infuriating. Then again I do have to admire her ability to play the game and her attitude is what helped her walk out of her games without a scratch despite her impressive kill count. She may get on my nerves but she's damn good at what she does so I might as well stop fighting it and just agree, it's the only way to get the incredibly uncomfortable conversation we're about to have with Zapp started.

I offer her a defeated nod and she offers me another incredibly cocky smile before spinning around and quickly slipping through and around the gaggle of people all trying to get Zapp's attention. It takes me a little longer to get through everyone and by the time I finally break through and get to the little table the two of them are already getting down to business.

"Why should I help your tribute? The last time I let you talk me into something like this I had to watch your girl slaughter my boy like cattle."

"You can't keep holding that against me, Zapp. Neither of us could have predicted when our tributes would pick that moment to turn on each other."

"You're right, but it doesn't help me 'get over it' when you being the little bitch that did it around either."

This is exactly why I didn't want to come; he's never going to stop hating me for that kill. Hell in the twelve years since it happened he's gotten more and more bitter every year. I understand that Dorian was his first tribute to break the top eight in a long time but I can't believe he honestly holds my desire to survive the games against me.

I'm about to respond to his unnecessary attack when Paige places a calming hand on my arm and flashes me a quick glare that I'm pretty sure means don't even think about it so I force myself to swallow my anger as she turns her attention back to the task at hand.

"Wren is here because she's Dargo's mentor too, and you know that. Now we can sit here and bicker about old grudges and past pains or we can come together and try to help the tributes we can still save survive. Now eventually Quanta and Dargo are going to find themselves on opposite sides but only if we help them survive today. So what's it going to be Zapp, do we work together to make sure that it's one of us who brings home a victor or do we let it ride and see what happens?"

For a moment, I'm not sure he's going to agree but after a little hesitation, he simply nods his head and motions for us to sit down. We quickly slip into the empty seats across from him as he passes the gift list and a pad of paper he'd been writing on to Paige.

"I've gotten a major influx from sponsors after what happened this morning, the problem is I can't find a way to spend it all on the gifts I want to get."

Paige nods her head before passing me the paper and turning her attention to the list. It only takes me a couple of seconds to scan the list and to my surprise outside of a decent amount of water, the list is almost entirely made up of electronics and various odds and ends that I can't for the life of me see being any use in the arena.

"Hey sorry to interrupt, but why are you sending her so much junk?"

"I wasn't sure what to send honestly. I know she's a genius with turning little odds and ends into something useful so I thought maybe it would be a good idea to send her something to tinker with. Do you not think it's a good idea?"

"In a different arena maybe but I'm not sure what good most of it will be in an arena completely devoid of technology."

"You might be right, but I'm not sure what to send her then. The two of them could obviously use water but outside of that I'm not sure what else to send."

"Well, Paige and I were planning on sending Dargo a pitchfork. He used it a lot back home to clean out the stables and was pretty impressive with it during training. Maybe you could send Quanta a weapon too and then we can split the water between the two gifts."

"That's not a bad idea, she did enjoy using the crossbow during training and sending her one would probably be more practical than sending her odds and ends….Ok, that's what I'll do, but how much water can you afford to send with your gift?"

I turn my head towards Paige who's currently staring down at the little screen of the device that tracks individual donor contributions for tributes and after pressing a few buttons and consulting the list she sets the little thing down and answers the question.

"We can send in about six full liters, what can you send?"

"After getting her the crossbow and a dozen bolts I should have enough to send about the same amount, plus two bags to carry it in and a little something extra."

* * *

 **Dargo Avene-12(D10M)**

I'm not sure why Quanta's blaming herself for what happened to Luell, we all knew the risks associated with the plan and we all decided to go ahead with it anyway. Hell, it's not like Luell wasn't going to have to face death at some point anyway so at least he got to go out in a truly heroic and memorable way. I mean if I'm not meant to win the games, if I'm not meant to lay eyes on my home and my family again I hope at the very least I can go out fighting instead of begging for mercy and I really hope my end is as quick and sudden as Luell's.

It took me the better part of an hour to pry Luell's lifeless, blood-soaked body out of her arms and get her to start moving back down the wadi towards the rest of the arena and even then it was slow going. The only time she moved any faster than a sullen shuffle was when the hovercraft flew in to collect the bodies and even that was more of a quick sprint followed by a prolonged bout of motionless crying and shaking.

Considering how hard it was to get her to move I guess I should be content with making it as far as the fork in the road between our little wadi and another. If I remember our trip up correctly this is the main road that'll lead us back to the cornucopia but I'm pretty sure this is as far as we're going to go today. We'd only been here a couple of minutes before Quanta wandered off and found another little cave room like the one we'd been staying in before only this one is significantly smaller and ends with a beautifully decorated stone slab instead of a large chamber.

"I think we should stop here for the night Dargo. I'm….I'm pretty drained and I don't think I can go much farther."

"Well I guess this is as good a place as any to stop for the night; It looks like it's been used relatively recently so there shouldn't be any traps or surprises to worry about."

"This is where Luell and I saw the careers camping yesterday. That's how I knew it was here in the first place, and considering the careers probably never considered they wouldn't be the ones coming back this way I didn't figure they'd leave any surprises behind."

"Well, I guess we lucked out if they hadn't been so overconfident who knows what might have been lurking down here."

"I'm not sure I'd call it overconfidence and not all of us got lucky Dargo."

"I didn't mean it like that Quanta. I was just saying that all things considered it could have been a whole lot worse."

"It could have been worse? Luell is dead Dargo, how in the world could things have gone any worse than they did?"

"We could be dead too….Look I know you're upset about Luell and for the record so am I, but we can't let that sadness eat away at us. Right now we're in the top eight and with the careers out of the picture both of us has a real chance of being the last tribute standing. Now I want to keep working with you Quanta and I know for a fact that I could never hurt you, but I need to know you're willing to put this behind you for now and focus on winning. Can you do that for me Quanta?"

"I….Yes, yes I can. But what happens if it comes down to just me and you? What do we do if we end up being the last two tributes standing?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure but I do know that speculating will only drive us crazy. For now, let's agree to focus on the task at hand and worry about the future when we have to, deal?"

"Deal."

She extends her hand towards me and I take it without hesitation and shake it as confidently as I can and while I'm fairly certain that at least a little bit of my unease and worry seeps through I manage to keep a smile on my face the entire time. After that though things start to get a little awkward, Luell had always been the one to talk and fill the silence and without him to do so the little cave is quickly enveloped in an uncomfortable awkward and strangely eerie silence.

Fortunately, the silence only lasts for a couple of minutes as no sooner have I turned my back and started to unroll my sleeping bag in a nearly futile attempt to fill the silence a series of soft pings catch my attention. At first, I'm not sure what the sound is or where it's coming from but I could swear that I've heard it before. After listing and trying to figure out what the sound is I finally give up and decide to throw caution to the wind and head outside, at this point the once soft pinging has grown to be so loud I can't think straight which means the source of the sound has to be near the mouth of the cave so I might as well check it out.

"Dargo wait."

"What, why?"

"We don't know what it is and we're not exactly armed and ready to fight off an attack. If that's a mutt or another tribute trying to draw us out we're as good as dead."

"We're as good as dead if we stay here too, if it's a mutt the Gamemakers sent it and they know for a fact we're down here and if it's another tribute us not going out would only lead them to assume this place is empty and that might lead them to search the inside too. We have a better chance of one of us escaping a trap if we go see what it is but if we stay down here and it's a trap we're as good as dead."

I can tell my reasoning isn't exactly resonating with her but after a couple of seconds of hesitation, she finally concedes and throws up her arms in defeat before motioning for me to lead the way. Taking things slow I carefully make my way back up the small flight of stairs and down the entrance corridor where to my immense shock we find two large boxes hanging carelessly in front of the entrance. I quickly make my way towards them and when nothing jumps out and attacks me I quickly grab ahold of the first box and yank it free of its strings and the parachutes it floated in on. I quickly pass the box back to Quanta before pulling the second one down and repeating the process, then just to be on the safe side I head back outside and scamper up the rock face and collect the dozen or so small white cloth parachutes that had been tangled in the rocks.

By the time I get back inside Quanta has already torn into one of the boxes and is lining up bottle after bottle of water on the ground beside her.

"Hey, how do you know that's yours?"

"Because my name was on it, yours is over there."

She points in the direction of the second box and sure enough, my name is engraved on the top of the box is rich gold letters. I try my hardest not to let my curiosity overpower me but I can't help it and within a few seconds, I've pried the lid off and tossed it aside to rummage through the treasures within. The first thing I notice is an overabundance of water as I'm pretty sure I have just as many bottles as Quanta if not more, however, it's what's hidden underneath that really catches my eye.

Tucked away in the bottom of the box is a solid steel pitchfork covered with gold inlays. The handle is wrapped in a rich red velvet like material that almost seems to cradle my hands when I touch it. Setting the water aside I pull it out and take a second to admire the glint of the gold in the light when I see Quanta staring at it with a puzzled look on her face.

"It's a pitchfork; it's just like the one you saw me use in the training center just much more ornate."

"Hmm well, I guess that explains why Zapp sent me the crossbow then. Our mentors must want us to be decently armed for the home stretch."

I nod absent-mindedly for a few seconds until the fact that she just told me she got a weapon too finally sinks in but once it does it only takes me a couple of seconds to find myself staring down at her weapon is awe. It's not as shiny as mine but with mine being made out of metal and hers something else it probably shouldn't be, however, what it lacks in glitz it makes up for in beauty and craftsmanship as every single piece flows beautifully into the next.

It looks like the entire thing is made of some kind of rosewood but after studying it for a few seconds it's clear that it's not wood at all but some kind of fiberglass polished and shined to look like wood. Nestled next to it in a small sleeve is a dozen or so bolts made out of the same highly glossed material as the weapon.

"Wow, that's a hell of a nice looking weapon. You get anything else with it besides the water?"

"Yeah I got a couple of sacks to carry the water in so I'm assuming one of them is for you."

"Great, I was a little worried I'd end up having to lug all these little bottles around in my pockets."

"Yeah, that sounds like it would seriously sick, oh I also got this awesome pineapple…."

* * *

 **Topaz Kayden-12(D1M)**

I don't think I've ever felt this bad in my entire life and I'm not sure what I can do to make the pain go away. At first, it was just the hot skin and the sweat and after a while the sweat went away and I thought I was in the clear but no sooner had I finally stopped sweating then I was assaulted by some of the most painful and unbearable cramps I've experienced in my entire life. Granted the only other time I've ever experienced cramps was after the bloodbath when we were running but even those weren't as unbearably miserable as these ones. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to keep going if they don't go away soon.

"Archie can we….Can we take a little break please?"

"I was just about to ask you if you wanted to stop, are you feeling ok?"

"Wh….Why do you ask?"

"Well for starters you look like death. Maybe we should head back to camp in the morning, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be out here in the heat again tomorrow."

"That's not….We don't need to go back. I'm just a little tired from before is all, once I have a good night sleep and a little water I'll be good as new."

"You sure Topaz, because it's not a big deal if you're still sick and we have to go back. I'd rather sit around the camp and have you around then have you die trying to push yourself out here for my sake."

"It's not just for you though it's for me too. I can't stay cooped up and coddled like a baby for the entire games if I want a chance to win. Besides if we go back now there's no way the Gamemakers leave us alone like they had been, we're too deep into the games to get away with not moving anymore."

"Ok if you're sure you're up to this we'll camp here tonight and start-up the search again at dawn, sound ok to you?"

I offer up an affirmative nod as he quickly scans the area for a semi-decent spot to camp for the night and after coming up empty the first time he decides to settle for something relatively hidden and easy to defend that's not completely covered in rocks. After deciding on the best of the worst camping spots he plops himself down in the sand and digs my sleeping bag and space blanket out of his pack and tosses the rolled up bag at my head with a playful grin. I manage to catch it before quickly sticking my tongue out at him before turning my attention to finding a relatively rock free place to sleep.

By the time, I finally clear all the little rocks out and get my bed set up he's already devoured half a roll and is currently in the middle of draining the last few drops of water out of his small canteen. Once I'm finally situated he tosses the other half of the role my way before digging one of our last open gallon of water out and filling his canteen back up before passing the gallon to me.

"Ok, I'll take the watch tonight so you can get some sleep. I'll wake you up a couple of hours before sunrise so I can catch a few z's before we head out, as long as that's ok with you anyway."

"That's fine but I'm more than willing to split the watch evenly. It's not fair for you to have to do the majority of it just because I'm a little under the weather."

"It's no big deal, it's better for you to get as much rest as possible so we can find the girls tomorrow. Besides, I've never been one to get as much sleep as I should so why should I start now?"

This doesn't feel right but I can tell there's no use in arguing with him on this so I simply nod in agreement as he offers me a sideways grin. A few minutes later, after he's watched me eat and drink a full canteen of water, he scoops up his canteen and the stupid sword he lugged with us from our original camp and heads towards a large rock that I guess marks the outer edge of our new camp.

I try to keep my eyes open for a couple of minutes because maybe thirty or so seconds after I lay down the last vestiges of light finally fade away and the arena is filled with the ear-splitting thunder of the Anthem as the sky is lit up by the seal. However even with all these annoyances, I can't fight off fatigue any longer and before I even get the chance to see the first fallen face in the sky I'm slipping off into a deep and dreamless slumber.

* * *

 **Audrie Christison-13(D1F)**

"Well, today was a complete and total waste of time. We trekked all the way out here to gather supplies and hunt the careers and now we're not getting either."

"Calm down Aud, sure we might have missed our chance at the careers but the trip wasn't a total bust."

"How the hell is this not a total and complete bust? The careers made off with the majority of the supplies and then someone else took them out. Not to mention the fact that we spent the entire day rummaging through the central valley and came away with absolutely nothing to show for it."

"Looking through the valley wasn't a total loss, we did manage to find a half a dozen of the cave house things."

"Half a dozen places with nothing of value in them, the majority of the crap we found is gold. Gold has absolutely no value in the arena. It's too soft to be remade into anything useful and we sure as hell can't buy anything with it."

"The jars of fruity drinks were a pretty good find."

"Once again it's called wine and you really need to stop drinking so much."

"You're the one who said it was ok to drink if the….whatcha call it content was low enough."

"It doesn't matter how low the alcohol content is if you drink two full jugs, Connor!"

"They were two different flavors, though."

For the love of god I can't deal with this right now, it's hard enough to get things she doesn't want to hear through her thick skull when she's sober but with her being drunk it's impossible. I mean I understand the idea behind doing it and if we were back at camp with the boys I might have partaken a little more than I did but drinking out here in the open is just a terrible idea. Then again I can understand the urge to do it especially after the first couple of swigs start to blur your senses and make you forget you're stuck in the middle of hell fighting for someone else's amusement.

"Ok Connor you've had enough you're restricted to water for the rest of the night and if I catch you drinking any more of the wine I'll pour the rest of it out."

"Look I'm not stupid ok, I'm just trying to relax a little bit and this is the easiest way to do it. Is it so wrong that I want to enjoy a little downtime in the midst of all the chaos and death?"

"No it's not and believe me I understand the desire to just try to forget about everything that's happened or will be happening over the next couple of days, but we can't let our guard down. We've come so far and now we're all so close to the end, there's a fifty-fifty chance that Topaz or Archie or you or I are going to be the one that walks out of this mess alive. We can't afford to slip up now Connor, we just can't."

"It's not about slipping up, it's about being able to do what has to be done."

"What do you mean do what has to be done?"

"I mean the two of us are in the top eight, both of us and the boys stand just seven people away from getting out of this hell hole and going home. However in order to do that each of us will have to outlast the other three in addition to the other four tributes still alive. Now you've made it abundantly clear that you don't want to become the kind of monster that personifies your district's normal tributes and honestly I understand and admire that. Frankly I'm not sure I can kill anyone either at least not it when I'm in my right mind, but with the wine I won't have to be in my right mind."

"Now I know you've had too much to drink, you're not even making sense anymore Connor."

"That's where you're wrong, I haven't drunk too much. I've drunk just enough to help me get through this."

"Help you get through what?"

She turns towards me and for the first time I see the tears rolling down her face and I instinctively want to see what's wrong, unfortunately, that's the one thing I shouldn't have done. Almost as soon as I place my hand on her shoulder and pull her into a hug I feel the cold bite of her knife as she plunges the blade into my gut.

"I'm sorry Audrie, but I don't want to die and that means you have to."

The last sight I see is her tear soaked face as she pulls her knife out of me and leaves me to crumble onto the cold ground below.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **A/N: Well this takes us to the end of Day 3 and into the final 7 and I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the explosive grand finally that's rapidly approaching. Once again I don't really have any major questions but I'm curious to see who everyone thinks is going to come out on top in the end?**

 **Other than that and my mild curiosity I hope everyone is enjoying the story and is ready to submit to my next one which will be going up as soon as we have a winner in this one, that is if anyone is interested in submitting to another story?**

 **As always please review and let me know what you think and I'll hope to see all of your smiling faces in a few days at the next update :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Sphinx Mutt

13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad

12-D6M- Aldrin Derino-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

11-D5M- Luell Berring-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

10-D4F- Iona Harrowell-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

09-D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

08-D1F- Audrie Christison-13-Killed by D8F- Connor McCormick

 **Kill Total**

4- Mutt

4- Quanta

1- Brooke

1- Connor

* * *

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Fern(Suicide)


	27. My Terms(Day 4 Part 1)

**Celine Minos-Head Gamemaker**

I have to say I've been presently surprised by just how smoothly everything's been going so far, sure we had a slight bump early on when that stupid little girl from Ten walked off her plate like a moron but other than that everything has gone off as close to perfectly as I'd dared to hope. I mean we still have a couple loose ends that need to be tied up but I'm confident that with a couple of minor alterations we'll have everything tightened up long before we have to crown a victor, I just with Centaura and her aunt shared my more optimistic view.

Even now she and Gregor are bickering like children about what's going on and how best to handle the loose ends and while it started out being mildly entertaining it's quickly turned into a rather ugly argument. Still I do appreciate the fact that Gregor is willing to stand up for the idea that the tributes should be the ones to decide who wins and who loses, I mean that hasn't been a popular view especially after the way some of the recent tributes have made it deep into the games.

"We can't interfere again Centaura, not after what we did last year."

"What we did last year was ensure that a rapist didn't walk out of the arena alive. Can you imagine the backlash and anger that would have accompanied him if he'd have won?"

"Regardless it sets a bad precedent if we forcibly eliminate the tributes we don't want to win. It's one thing to take a stand like that and end the suffering of an innocent victim who he was denying the chance to compete but this is a completely different animal."

"No, it's not you're just trying to make it one. How many times in the past hundred plus years have the Gamemakers guided the games along a specific path in order to end up with a certain type of victor? That's essentially what we'd be doing here; we'd be leading the remaining tributes towards providing us with a victor the Capitol will respect."

"No, we'd be picking the victor for them."

"We've done it before."

"Not this blatantly. How long do you think the citizens of the Capitol will tolerate us picking the winner for them never mind the districts which will almost certainly take immediate exception to us determining the winner through anything other than legitimate random chance? Are you really willing to jeopardize the entire system over this?"

"Having a victor that didn't do anything the entire time will make a mockery of the system. Having a victor that lost her marbles and beat someone to death will make a mockery of the system. In reality, only two out of the remaining seven tributes are truly worthy of being crowned victor which means we have a better than seventy percent chance of crowing a weak and undeserving victor. You know that's bad I know it's bad and what's more Celine knows it's bad too."

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to take a side in this mess but I'm still not completely sold on which one that should even be. On the one hand, I understand why Centaura feels the way she does and I'm pretty sure her opinion is an extension of what the President wants so I do have to look at it with a little more weight than if it was coming from anyone else. On the other hand, I've always tended to come down on the side of letting the game play itself out and keeping the Gamemaker interference, whether direct or indirect to as low a level as possible. I just don't know if that's a viable option this time around, not if the President has her eyes set on an active type of victor.

"Ok so we have two options here and neither of them appeals to the hardliners on the other side. The problem is we want to keep the games as 'fair' as we can without letting someone cower their way to victory which means we do have to intercede at certain points but I'm not sure if this is one of them, at least not yet anyway."

"Ma'am I'm still confident that if we let them the tributes can and will sort this out themselves. We were worried a couple of years ago because Jinx was using her body to enthrall the boy from Four and bend him to her will. She didn't have a kill until near the end of the games and even that one wasn't great because all she did was bleed her ally and lover dry. When she made it into the top three everyone was clamoring for us to make sure she didn't win the games but you let the game run its course and we ended up with a perfect victor in Joyce. I'm confident that if we let the tributes play this out we'll end up in a similar situation again."

"That's….That's a compelling argument, Gregor. The thing is I'm still not sure this situation is truly comparable to Joyce and Jinx. What do you think Centaura, and feel free to speak candidly."

"Thank you, ma'am, I appreciate the chance to lay out my viewpoint."

"You've made your views abundantly clear so far why would you stop now?"

"That's enough Gregor, please continue."

"Thank you. The main problem with this year ma'am is exactly what you said; we can't compare what happened in previous years with this year and just hope history repeats itself. In reality, Jinx came entirely too close to winning for comfort and this year we do have someone as strong and well-trained as Joyce was and that's the problem. Right now it's a legitimate toss-up between about five or so of the remaining tributes and it's impossible to predict how everything will turn out in the end."

"I agree with what you're saying but I'm still not sure this requires our direct interference to correct. After all, Gregor is right about the potential blowback we could face if it appears that we're trying to directly influence the outcome of the games."

"I agree but there are still steps we can take to arrange for the less desirable tributes to be weeded out without having to drop a mountain on their heads, so to speak."

"Ok, I'll bite. What other options do we have?"

"Well for starters we still have an impressive array of mutts from the jackal warriors of Anubis and the flesh-eating scarabs. Why not let one of them out to play near one of the less impressive tributes?"

"It's a good idea….Gregor, what do you think?"

"Well if we went with the jackals of Anubis and sent them after the boy from Seven at the very least it can be sold as a fall out of his earlier encounter in the mutts lair."

"Ok, then that's what we'll do. When we're done here Centaura I want you to unleash a half-dozen of the jackals in the general area of the boy from Seven."

"An excellent decision ma'am, will there be anything else?"

"I have a couple of ideas yes. Gregor, what's the current temperature in the arena?"

"At last check, the high was around one-hundred and five or so."

"Let's take it up another fifteen to twenty degrees. It's time for the tributes to experience the scorching punishment of the royal necropolis."

The two of them wait for a couple of seconds to make sure I'm done and when it becomes clear that I am they quickly exit the office and set out to accomplish their assigned tasks. I still don't like having to take such an active role in the games but for my own sake, I'm willing to swallow my objections and do what needs to be done. Besides once we weed out the last one or two truly undesirable tributes left we can unleash the feast and the carnage that comes with it. By the end of the day tomorrow the only tributes left standing will be the truly worthy so now is the time to prove themselves, it's either that or they become another bloodstain on the sands.

* * *

 **Aster Elmore-13(D7M)**

Well, I have to say things seem to be going a whole lot better since I decided to avoid everyone and everything I possibly could. Hell after having to watch my one ally and the only friend I've made since I got to this godforsaken place get skewered in the bloodbath and then in a fashion only I seem to be cursed with I managed to top that nightmare when I watched the girl from Nine get devoured by that mutt. The fact that I managed to go an entire day without having to watch someone else die is about as impressive a victory as I dared to dream I could pull off and it led me to my first semi-decent night's sleep since the games started.

"You call that a good night's sleep? You woke up half a dozen times screaming in terror and drenched in a cold sweat, that's about as awful a night as you can have honestly."

Well, it might not have been great but at least I managed to keep my night terrors to fewer than ten, which after the sleepless first night and the thirty plus times I woke up the second night it's a step in the right direction. After all, it took Larch months to get back to normal after watching his first 'payment collection' with Erik and some of their other 'associates'. The simple fact that I've been able to recover so fast might just be dumb luck or maybe hearing him talk about what happened better prepared me for what I'm facing here. Who would have thought that Erik would have come in handy for more than just a place to stay and food?

"Is that any way to thank the man who kept you and Larch from dying? You're a truly awful person and you deserve every terrible thing that's happened to you in your miserable life."

I don't know what this voice in my head wants but I'm starting to think it might just be to drive me insane. Every little thing I do the voice criticizes and rages against and frankly it's starting to get a little bit annoying. I mean I could understand the overly critical voice that was pushing me to do better and try harder or the persistent one that kept pushing me not to give up after Emi died in the bloodbath but this one is just, cruel. I'm not sure where it came from but I really wish it would just leave me the hell alone already.

"You know very well what I am Aster, I'm the part of you that knows the truth. I'm the part of your mind that realizes just how pointless and insignificant your life truly is and I'm the voice of truth that you try to ignore despite that nagging little feeling in the back of your mind that everything I say is right."

I'm not going to listen to this anymore; I have too much on the line to let my self-doubt and angst get the best of me. Instead, I quickly scoop up the last remnants of my incredibly depleted supplies and stuff them in my knapsack before slipping it on and scooping up my hatchet and striking back out into the arena.

Despite the fact that the sun has only just started to rise it's already incredibly hot and before I've made it a hundred feet I'm forced to stop and take a long swing of water as my mouth has dried out past the point of annoyance and into pain. After gulping down half of my last bottle of water I quickly put it back in my pack and attempt to forge ahead despite the surprisingly intense heat, I mean seriously it's almost as unbearable now as it normally is in the middle of the day. I hope this doesn't mean the temperature is about to explode up, I'm not sure how long I or anyone for that matter can last in an extremely hot environment like this arena has the potential to be.

Still despite the heat I manage to force myself to keep moving and while I have to stop a little more frequently to wipe the sweat out of my eyes I manage to make what I hope is a good time as I try to retrace my steps and find my way back to the cornucopia, after all, that's probably the only place in this sun-blasted hell that's likely to have supplies and I'm not going to last much longer if I don't get more water, especially if this is going to be the new norm for temperature.

I manage to keep myself moving and while I think I'm doing a good job the results seem to disagree. Apparently my sense of direction is only good when I have a semi-decent understanding of where I am and where I need to go and after two days of running for my life without regard and one day of hiding and recovery I'm as turned around and confused as I've ever been. Fortunately, the incessantly cruel and heartless voice is more than happy to point this out even as I do my best to suppress it and try to remember anything I can to help me figure out which way to go.

"Seriously, though, after two days running across the breadth of this area and a full day to recover you can't even remember the basics? Like seriously stupid identifying basic landmarks are like survival one oh one and you managed to fuck it up. You are completely and utterly hopeless, I just hope when you finally die and make no mistake you will die it's quick. Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean I should have to suffer the indignity of a slow and painful death by sun."

Again I try to force myself to ignore my own inner rantings and ravings but the voice continues to pester and nag me and before long I've stopped paying attention to where I'm going and it doesn't take long before I'm completely lost. I silently kick myself for letting that pompous voice distract me like that and then I literally kick myself when it starts to sink in that I let myself get distracted by myself.

"See you are hopeless. How else do you explain letting a figmentation of your own imagination distract you enough that you got yourself lost in a place with one road? Count it stupid one, one road and you managed to get lost on it like the dumdum you truly are."

This time, I'm not strong enough to block out the criticism and before long I feel the first stream of tears start to roll gently down my face as I start to cry. Fortunately, I'm able to get myself under control before too long and force myself to stop, unfortunately, the only reason I'm able to do so is because of the increasingly loud low pitched but menacing growl that's surrounding me. I tighten my grip on my hatchet as I scan the area to see if whatever's making the sound is coming at me from one of the walls but my luck's not nearly that good and after a couple of minutes of frantic scanning I finally locate the source.

Off in the distance is what appear to be slightly smaller and not as well decorated dog-headed monsters with human-like legs. However, that's where the similarities between the mutt I saw before and these ones ends as these mutts are covered in a kind of crude looking leather armor and where the other mutt had been distinctly human below the waist these ones are covered in a layer of dark black fur. Each one also has some kind of strange head covering that looks like a terrible cross between a blanket and a hat that stretches down and covers the side of their heads before coming to rest on their shoulders.

I try my best to stay quiet and slip away but apparently these things have amazing hearing as I've taken maybe three or four steps before one of them hones in on me and lets out a bloodthirsty howl. I don't stick around to see if the others charge too, instead, I turn and run for everything I'm worth down the only path I can find.

I run and I run but eventually the path ends the way I expected it too, in an unclimbable wall of rock. Forced into a corner with nowhere to run I spin around to find my attackers bearing down on me with fangs bared and a look of pure rage and hunger in their black eyes.

"So this is how it ends?"

I slip my sack off my back and fish out my water and quickly drain the last of it as the mutt's slowly close in on me but I'm not going to stand here and wait for them to strike. As soon as the last drop of water slips past my lips I drop the bottle to the ground before kicking my mostly empty sack as hard as I can right towards the mutt in the center of the group. Hoping to use the little distraction to my advantage I adjust my grip on my hatchet before releasing all my fear and rage in an ear shattering bellow. Then I lower my head and charge towards the mutts. This may be where I die but I still get to choose how I go and if this is really the end for me I'm not going to go out begging a monster for mercy like Alden did, I'm going to go out fighting….

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

My head has never hurt this much in my entire life like I've smashed my head into metal beams and wooden walls and nothing compares to the world shattering headache I've got right now. Hell if it wasn't for the cannon waking me up I'd probably still be asleep right now, I mean sure I'm covered in sweat and the cornucopia is basically a furnace right now but at least my head wasn't pounding. Then again based on where the sun is in the sky it's probably around late morning to early afternoon so it might be a good idea for me to get up and do something before the benefit of last night wears off and I end up back in the Gamemakers crosshairs.

Part of me still can't believe that I actually did it, it's almost like my heart is hoping that every time I turn around Audrie will be sitting there with that same stern but somehow warm smile on her face. I know it was a rash and maybe even stupid decision to take her out yesterday and while the emotional side of my brain refuses to let me push the images of her face as the life drained from her eyes out of my mind the rational part of me knows it was the best thing I could have done.

I mean I hate myself for thinking that way but I know deep down that it had to happen eventually and while the wine gave me the courage to do it at that moment I'd been planning to do it for at least the last two days. In the end, I know that only one person is getting out of here alive and while I'm not dense enough to believe that I'd have gotten as far as I have without Audrie and to a lesser extent Topaz and Archie eventually all of them were going to have to die for me to win, Audrie just happened to be the unfortunate one that went first.

I can't afford to think about this right now, dwelling on what I did and whether it was right or wrong is pointless right now. If I'm able to win and get back home to Eight I'll have plenty of time to wrestle with my inner demons about what I did during the games and if I don't then it won't matter anyway. Right now the most important thing I can do, really the only thing I can do is keep moving forward and doing things the way I planned before the games started.

I finally force myself to get up and even though I immediately regret doing so after spending a few minutes getting my balance and bearings back I scoop up my knives and head outside to get a better idea of my current situation. The first thing I notice once I step out of the shade of the cornucopia is just how oppressively unbearable the heat is today. I may come from a relatively temperate place and yes the weather seems to fluctuate between cool and cold year round and the first few days in the arena may have seemed excessively warm to me but this is a whole new level of unbearable. The second thing I notice and an immensely thankful for is that at some point during the night, most likely during the comatose portion after I first fell asleep the hovercraft came and picked up Audrie's body. Now the only thing left of my ally are my memories and the blood stained sand where she fell.

I quickly find myself slipping back into a sad state as I try and utterly fail to suppress the flood of emotions that all come racing back as I stare down at the blood stained sand. The confusion on her face and the terror in her eyes when I drove my knife into her guts. The nausea that overwhelmed me as her hot blood seeped out of the hole I'd made and covered my hand and the hilt of my knife in the sticky red substance. The regret I felt as I watched the light slowly fade out of her eyes as I ripped my knife out of her and stabbed her, again and again, to make sure she was dead.

It's all too much and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take it, I mean how do tributes do this year after year and then go home? How can someone who killed so many people like the last three winners did just go home and have a life after doing something so…?Awful?

As I stand here wallowing in my own regret and self-pity it finally dawns on me how they do it, they do it because they get to do it. It's just like I was trying to tell myself back in the cornucopia but it didn't really settle in and make sense until I was staring down at the actual results of my decision that I truly understood what I was trying to tell myself. In the end, everyone probably feels like I do right now after they kill in the arena but winning and getting to go home are the rewards for being willing to do what has to be done. In the end, they find a way to come to terms with what they did because they're strong enough to do it and if I want to survive I'm going to have to start walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

Taking a deep breath I take the side of my foot and quickly but thoroughly cover the stain with fresh sand until it's impossible to tell that it was ever there at all. It might not cover up the stain on my soul for what I did but at the very least I won't have to look at it every time I step outside the cornucopia so at least it's something. Just as I feel like I'm finally putting this behind me or at the very least learning how to deal with it the silence of the arena is shattered as the anthem blares and is quickly replaced by the incredibly annoying sing-songy voice of the master of ceremonies.

" _Attention tributes attention. I have a very special and important announcement for the seven of you remaining in the arena."_

* * *

 **A/N: First off I'm sorry this wasn't up Sunday or Monday but Game of Thrones kind of controls my life right now so I'm just going to stop promising to post on the weekends for the next 7 weeks :). Anyway as you can see things are starting to get hot both literally and figuratively as we inch ever closer to the climatic finally of the story. So my question about who you think will win from last time still stands but other then that I'm plumb out of good questions :)**

 **As always please review and let me know what you think of the chapter and I hope to see you all at the next update later this week :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Killed by Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Killed by Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Killed by Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Killed by Sphinx Mutt

13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad

12-D6M- Aldrin Derino-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

11-D5M- Luell Berring-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

10-D4F- Iona Harrowell-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

09-D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

08-D1F- Audrie Christison-13-Killed by D8F- Connor McCormick

07-D7M- Aster Elmore-13-Killed by Jackel Mutts

 **Kill Total**

5- Mutt

4- Quanta

1- Brooke

1- Connor

* * *

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Fern(Suicide)


	28. The Serpents Grasp(Day 4 Part 2)

**Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

" _As I'm sure all of you have noticed the heat is rising and the closer we get to crowning a victor the hotter it's going to get. With that in mind tributes we've decided to hold a feast commencing tonight at dusk, but this is no normal feast. This feast will provide all of you with the one commodity that is in increasingly short supply for most of you, water. For a ten minute period starting at dusk, you'll be provided with the chance to collect as much water as possible from the supply provided at the cornucopia._

 _While this feast is obviously not a mandatory event I'd advise each of you to think long and hard before you decide to skip it because it's only going to get hotter from here and if you're running low now it's only going to get worse. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor…."_

Well, this obviously isn't a very thinly veiled attempt to get us all in one place or anything. I mean everyone has to see this for what it is; a trap. Then again not everyone is going to be in the same boat as Dargo and I are, after all, before we got our sponsor drop last night we were dangerously low on water ourselves and I can't imagine anyone else has an even remotely comparable stockpile of water right now.

"What do you think we should do?"

That's a good question and for the first time in my life, I honestly don't have an answer to a question. On the one hand, this is so obviously a trap that it's not even funny, I mean it's pretty obvious they want us to end this relatively quickly and this is an easy way to do it. On the other hand, though this is also probably going to be the last chance anyone has to take a large swath of tributes out at once. I mean I absolutely hate the idea of looking at this as an opportunity to eliminate the strongest opponents left in the games but it's hard not to, this is the moment that everything can change.

"I don't know Dargo. I wish I did but I just….I just don't know."

"Well, we're pretty much set as it is so I'm not sure what the real benefit would be to wading into the muck."

"We're set now but that can change in a blink. I mean we've gone through what three-quarters of a bottle each so far today?"

"I'm closer to four-fifths but I get what you're saying."

"Do you?"

"Of course….At least I think I do anyway."

Honestly, he probably does but just doesn't want to risk looking silly in front of me if he's wrong. That's one of the funny things about Dargo that I'm only now starting to appreciate, his ability to be so cutely befuddled while still looking and sounding confident. Honestly, that's just one of his many fun and endearing qualities but this isn't the time or the place for me to start thinking about things like this. I have enough crap to worry about without heaping my feelings for him on top of it all; I'll have plenty of time for that in the very near future.

"You probably have it but I'll lay it out for you anyway."

"I mean if you really want to I'd be a fool to decline."

"You are a fool sir but we'll save that for another time. The problem we're in right now is that our water is a finite supply and based on today's consumption we're likely to use it all up within a couple of days, provided it doesn't get too much hotter that is. If we pass on the feast and just try to outlast everyone with what we've got we're probably going to run out long before whoever ends up securing the feast bounty does."

"So you're saying we should go even if we don't need to?"

"I'm saying that in the end it's not really an option for anyone not to go, not even us, unfortunately."

"Ok, so we'll just have to go then. I assume you have a plan for this too so let's hear it."

"What do you mean a plan? We've know about it for all of about ten minutes and you think I already have a plan for it?"

"Of course, I do. In fact, I'm pretty sure you have a plan for just about any potential wrinkle the Gamemakers could fathom throwing are way. You're a very prepared and through person Quanta so it shouldn't be a surprise that I'd assume you have a plan."

"Well I mean I have the general outline of a plan in mind but it's still a little….I don't know, presumptuous for you to just assume I'd be the one to come up with the plan again."

"I….I think I'm sorry but I'm not really sure."

"How can you not be sure?"

"Well it sounds like you might be a little mad but at the same time, you also said you've got the basics of a plan down so I'm not sure if you're really mad or just pulling my leg."

"Well, when you put it that way I guess I can understand. So do you want to hear my idea or would you rather wing it like we did the bloodbath?"

"Well considering how effective your last plan was compared to the wing it bloodbath plan I'm going to go ahead and defer to you on this one."

"Ok, so I was thinking the first step should be to get to the cornucopia as quickly as we can and since we know this road leads back to it that shouldn't be that hard to pull off. Now once we're there we'll scout the area and look for an area that provides a little shade and a relatively unobstructed view of the surrounding area."

"So far none of this sounds very hard or very plan like."

"We're just getting to the hard part so be patient. Now once we get there and find a hiding place we'll settle in and try to recover as much as we can before the feast actually starts. This will consist mostly of rehydrating and maybe a little catnap for each of us."

"Not at the same time I hope."

"Of course not at the same time, that would just be reckless and silly. Now just dusk hits we'll get set up and consolidate the rest of our water in my bag while you'll use the empty one to carry the water we get from the feast. Now the general plan for the feat is for you to run in and scoop up as much as you can safely carry in your bag while I use my crossbow to cover you. Now I've got a finite number of bolts but as long as you don't try and fight the other four tributes at the same time I should be able to keep you relatively safe. Now once you've reached the feast table make sure to prioritize…."

"Hold on why am I the one doing the running? Why don't you run in while I cover you?"

"Well for starters I've seen you shoot and don't take this the wrong way but you're absolutely terrible at it. Second I'm a thousand percent sure I'm not strong enough to use your pitchfork in any sort of competent way so I'd be without cover or a weapon. You're also significantly faster than me but that's not as important as the first two. Should I go on or are you convinced?"

"I think I'm good. So what were you saying about prioritizing?"

"You'll need to make sure to value size over number. It's better to end up with two full gallons then twenty little eight ounce bottles so keep as close an eye as you can on the amount of water each container holds…."

* * *

 **Brooke Kolstad-13(D12F)**

I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to go to this feast but I'm not sure how much longer I can last without water. If it wasn't for the merger amount I got from the boy I killed I'd probably be dead already and while I still feel terrible that I killed him I can't help but feel thankful that at least he had water. If I hadn't killed him I'd be dead and there's a decent chance that he'd be dead too so at least his death was able to help me keep living.

"So because his death preserved your life you're going to absolve yourself of guilt or blame? Sure you may have survived because of his death but doesn't that make you the same kind of monster that killed your brother during his games?"

"No I'm not absolving myself of blame, I'm just willing to accept that sometimes bad things happen and it's up to everyone involved to make the best of a bad situation. That's what I'm doing accepting my role and moving on."

Ok now I know I'm delirious, I seriously just had a legitimate conversation with myself about what happened and not did I answer myself but I did it out loud too. I mean I know I'm in a bad place right now and the fact that I'm still too scared that a mutt will pop out and kill me to even think about resting hasn't helped but I didn't think I was this bad. Not yet anyway.

"It's perfectly normal to talk to yourself, I mean who else is going to give you expert advice if you don't do it?"

"That may be true but it's still not a good thing that I'm doing it, not to mention answering myself at the same time."

Oh for the crying out loud I did it again! What is wrong with me right now?"

"You mean aside from you blister covered feet, your dehydration and hysteria, the sleep deprivation, the massive cuts and scrapes covering your legs, and your hands that are cracked and cut up while being covered in what might be your blood but might not?"

"Well, when you put it that way I obviously have a laundry list of problems. Of which one is apparently my inability to stop talking to and answering myself out loud."

However even though it's incredibly frustrating that I can't seem to control my incessant need to fill the muggy silence with my own voice I did make a few valid points. For starters my body is completely and totally destroyed right now, I mean the fact that I can still stand is a miracle and I'm almost certain my continued movement is nothing short of divine intervention. I mean I haven't had a chance to see what I look like since the games started but I have to imagine I look a lot like the miners that survived the cave in a few years back. I might not be covered in soot but the sand is just as abundant and invasive and when you look at the scrapes and scars that cover my body I'm sure the resemblance is uncanny.

"Oh, nonsense you look just fine. I mean it's not a look to revisit on the Victor's Tour but it's nearly as bad as you're making it out to be."

"Of course, it is, but that's not the big issue here. The real problem is that I'm literally running on adrenaline and emotion right now and I'm one trip and fall away from being done. Worse yet I'm out of water, have zero sponsor support, no weapons, and I'm still talking to myself!"

"Well you've got to do something and seeing as all you seem to be willing to do is argue with yourself you might as well do it."

"That's the thing though I don't want to keep arguing with and pitying myself like I have been. I want to go out there and do something real and meaningful, I want to win damn it."

"Do you want to win though? Deep down is that really what you want or are you just saying that to avoid having to live with the fact that you gave up the moment you killed that boy?"

"Of course, I still want to win; at least I think I do."

"Well, that's something you need to figure out and fast. Do you want to spend the rest of your life thinking of yourself as a monster like the boy that killed your big brother but get to help your parents? Or would you rather give up now and free yourself from a lifetime of pain and regret but spend what time you have left thinking about how your death is going to shatter what little sanity and destroy what little comfort your parents have left in this world?"

"I….I want to live. I want to win."

"Then you know what you have to do. You have to steel yourself against that which is to come and prepare yourself to do the hard things and make the tough choices no one else wants to make. You need to get moving and get to that feast and once you're there you need to let go of your hang-ups and inhibitions and do what must be done. You need to be ready to fight and die if necessary in order to secure the supplies you need, but most importantly you need to be ready to kill again. Can you do that?"

"Yes, yes I can."

"Ok then let's get moving then, the Gamemakers aren't going to wait around for you so you'll have to get there early and wait for them."

I take a deep breath to calm myself down before starting to slowly make my way back towards the central valley. I may not be all there right now but I did manage to talk myself into doing what I have to do to win so maybe it's a good thing I'm a little unbalanced. After all, I think every one that survives the games is a little bit crazy; all I'm doing is making sure I'll be able to relate to the other victors when I finally win.

* * *

 **Topaz Kayden-12(D1M)**

It's a good thing we're almost to the cornucopia because I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to last in this heat. I'm mean it seemed so easy in my head, we'd just move as fast as we could and get to the cornucopia fast enough that we be able to find the girls and come up with a plan to control the feast. Then again it's my own fault I'm in such bad shape if I had just listened to Archie and spent all day yesterday recovering instead of insisting on pressing on when it was obvious I needed to stop maybe I wouldn't be cramping up so bad it's a struggle to keep moving. However, this is a small price to pay considering what's at stake, at least that's what I keep telling myself anyway.

"Topaz are you sure you can handle this?"

"I….Um what…What did you say?"

"Ok that's it we're stopping and you're going to drink some water and rest."

"We can't stop Archie not when we're so close."

"We're close enough that we can afford to stop for a little bit. The cornucopia isn't going to move and we have plenty of time before the feast starts so sit down drink some water and catch your breath."

"I'm fine, I promise I'll take a few minutes and recover my strength as soon as we get there. We can't leave the girls hanging Archie, we just can't."

"What we can't do is have you go down in the middle of the feast when Audrie and Connor will be counting on you. Not to mention I'm not exactly keen on the idea of explaining how you ended up in this condition to them so I'm sure as hell not letting you get any worse."

I can tell this isn't a fight I can win so instead of pressing the issue I decide to find a rock and take a little breather. I've only been sitting for a couple of seconds when Archie comes over and tries to shade me from the sun and while he's not exactly big enough to pull it off I appreciate the gesture. I still can't understand why he's been so helpful and protective but I'm guessing it has a lot to do with his personality, I mean why else would he be willing to risk his own safety in a situation where you can do everything right and still end up dead if he wasn't a genuinely good person?

Honestly, I think that's why he's been so concerned about me and the girls not because he's playing a part or trying to win sponsors but because he actually likes us. I'm sure he'd never admit that out loud and if he did Connor and Audrie might give him a hard time but in the end, I think they'd appreciate just how helpful and caring he's actually been, at least I'd like to think they would anyway. Regardless of his intentions and whether or not the girls would see them in the same way I do he's been a good ally and that's gotta count for something.

We spend a few minutes sitting in silence and after draining around half of our last gallon of water I feel good enough to start moving again, or at least that's what I tell Archie anyway. It's taken us too long to get this far as it is and while the Gamemakers said the feast would be at dusk they could easily decide to make dusk happen at a moment's notice. Not to mention that the sooner we get there the sooner we'll be back with the girls and the sooner we're back with them the sooner the two of them and Archie can start planning for the feast.

Surprisingly I only cramp up a half a dozen times between then and our arrival at the cornucopia and only one of them was actually bad enough that I had to stop. Because of this little windfall we're able to cover the rest of the ground relatively quickly and within no more than ten minutes we're finally there, the only problem is I don't see any sign of Connor or Audrie.

"Do you think they're out looking for us?"

"We would have passed them if they were. This doesn't make sense."

Well he's right about that, I mean I'm far from a tactical genius but even I know that it's foolish to abandon the site of an upcoming feast so close to its start and if I know that then so does Audrie. I mean why would they not be here, we didn't pass them on the way up and there's no reason they would have gone down one of the other paths unless they abandoned us….No Audrie wouldn't do that and Connor doesn't strike me as the backstabbing type, at least not at first sight.

"Do you think they left us then?"

"Maybe, but I really don't think they would do that. Connor spent a shit load of time droning on about always doing the smart thing and the right thing and abandoning her allies doesn't strike me as either of those things."

"But, if they didn't betray and abandon us where are they?"

"Well I hate to think like this but I guess someone has to."

"What do you mean Archie and what exactly is it you have to do?"

"One of us has to ask the important question. Are they dead?"

I was really hoping we wouldn't have to talk about that but it looks like we do. The only thing we know for sure is that they were still alive as of the fallen tribute last night but we've heard two cannons since then and while I may not really want to think about there is a one in eight chance that at least one of them belonged to one of the girls.

"I hope nothing happened to them, I'd feel awful if they died because the two of us didn't come back here with them."

"I know what you mean, by the way, do you still have the sword?"

"Yeah I do, why?"

"Give it here."

"Why?"

"Just give it to me Topaz."

I'm not sure what he's planning but it's not like I can use the sword anyway so I hand it over and watch as he carefully pulls it out of its sheath before tossing that back to me and taking a couple of practice swings. After he's sure he's comfortable, or at least not going to lop his own arm off trying to use it he turns back towards me and offers up what I'm assuming is supposed to be a confident grin but it honestly just comes off as one of sheer terror.

"Ok so this is a terrible idea and I want you to be ready to run if it backfires on me."

I want to stop him and make him explain what he's planning but I'm far too slow and before I can blink he's already moving towards the cornucopia with the sword resting casually on his shoulder. He closes maybe three-quarters of the distance between us and it before coming to a stop and driving the sword into the sand and letting out a surprisingly deep and commanding yell.

"CONNOR, AUDRIE! ARE EITHER OF YOU HERE!"

This is his plan, bellowing like a fool? Well regardless of who's here and who's not everyone in the arena knows where we are now. For a moment, it looks like that might be the only result of his brash and semi-stupid action until a lone figure shuffles out of the cornucopia cradling its left arm close to its chest. In an instant, Archie rips the sword back out of the sand and takes up what I think is supposed to be a defensive stance but for some reason, he doesn't advance or retreat. I can't figure out what's going on and why he's not moving but after a few seconds and a second glance at the approaching figure, I understand why. It's Connor who's walking towards him.

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

I really hope they buy this or I'll have just cut my arm up for nothing. Maybe this was an irrational reaction to hearing Archie calling out for Audrie and me but it was honestly the only thing I could come up with in my panicked state. Hopefully, the two of them will buy that the injury is from a recent fight between Audrie and me and the mutt that killed her, I just hope I can sell this as easily as I think I can.

"Topaz get up here and bring the first aid kit with you. Connor stop moving and just take it easy, we're here to help."

It takes them a few minutes to get me 'calmed down' and a few more to clean up my wound but they finally manage to get it done. A few minutes later the three of us are sitting a half a hundred yards or so away from the front of the cornucopia on top of one of the starting pedestals when I start telling them what happened.

"It took Audrie and me longer to get back here then we thought it would and by the time we did it was too dark to really see or do anything so we made camp and waited for morning. Once it was finally light enough for us to see inside the cornucopia we ventured in and started looking around and that's when Audrie got hit with the trap."

I take a couple of seconds to 'collect' myself as I try my best to make it seem like this is as hard for me as it should be and to my astonishment it seems to be working as Topaz looks like he's on the verge of crying, Archie, on the other hand, is surprisingly difficult for me to read. Trying to gauge his reaction to what I've said so far I make an awkward attempt to pick up my water bottle only to have it bounce off my fingertips and spill all over the golden sand covered ground.

"Topaz get her some more water, please. What happened next?"

"The trap was pretty crude but it was effective, Audrie tripped it moving a crate and it did a real number in her shin."

"What kind of trap was it?"

"Some sort of spring thing with a sharpened rock on a stick. It tore her shin up pretty bad and while the two of us were able to do a semi-decent job of cleaning it up it obviously put her in a world of pain. I decided that it was too dangerous to go back yesterday with her in that condition and despite her initial objections, she agreed to stay another day to recover."

"That sounds like Audrie, on the train ride from One she told me a story about how she had dislocated her shoulder during training but forced her trainer to let her keep fighting in the little grappling tournament her class was having. She kept saying how much it hurt and eventually her trainer had to force her to go get it looked at by the doc…."

"Topaz the trip down memory lane needs to wait for just a little bit, we still need to get to the bottom of what happened here."

Well, this is just great, I mean I figured on Archie being the hard one to convince but I was hoping he'd at least be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Then again if I know anything about him it's that he's always ready to put up a tough front even when he's emotional so maybe that's all this is an act. However even if it is just an act the fact that he's still got his hand wrapped around the hilt of that sword isn't exactly comforting. I guess I'll just have to keep playing this angle and hope for the best.

"What's there to get to the bottom of? I got us lost trying to get here and Audrie had an accident. We had a series of unforced and frankly unforeseeable errors that ended up costing us dearly in the end."

"You never mentioned that you were the reason you guys got lost."

"Of course, I didn't, I'm not exactly proud of it or anything."

"Fair enough, so what happened next? How did Audrie die and more importantly how did you end up getting hurt?"

"She had the second watch and I woke up just a little after mid-morning or so to find her sitting outside in the sun cleaning and rewrapping her leg. I got up and went to check on and help her finish up when the mutt showed up. It stalked out of the little cavern on the far side of the valley and started towards us at a slow but steady pace. My initial reaction was to run but Audrie didn't have her wound rewrapped yet so I decided to try and cover her while she finished up. I ran out and tried to draw the mutts attention and while it seemed to work initially after a few seconds of hesitation it turned away from me and lunged towards her. I tried my best to stop it but I wasn't fast enough. It pulled her back into its cave and all I had to show for it were these lousy cuts."

For the first few seconds after I finish spinning my tale neither of them says a word and the only noise I can hear is my own breathing but just as I start to get nervous Archie's composure cracks and a sad smile spread across his sun-baked face.

"Well, it sounds like we're all lucky to still be alive. I just hope our luck holds through this feast."

"Me too and I'm really glad I found you guys."

Topaz wraps me in a quick hug while Archie looks on and takes a small sip of water before directing our focus to the battle plan for the feast later today. Most of it ends up being common knowledge and basic crap but I have to say the thoroughness does catch me a little off guard. The one part of the plan that I'm absolutely in love with but have to act like I hate is his insistence that Topaz and I stay back and let him handle the resource collection and fighting.

"Topaz is still a little shaky and you're in no real condition to fight. It's better for the two of you to hang back and let me take the risk."

"Are you sure Archie? I mean I've been a little under the weather but I'm pretty sure I can still help."

"Don't sweat it Topaz I got this. You just keep an eye on Connor for me and I'll handle the rest."

"I don't need anyone to watch over me. I'm capable of doing it myself."

"I know that but I still think it's better that the two of you worry about watching out for each other and let me get the supplies."

This back and forth goes on for a lot longer than it really needs to but eventually Topaz gives up and I'm forced to 'concede' the point as well and the three of us finally settle in to wait for the feast to start. A couple of sweat-soaked hours later the sun finally starts to set and Archie scoops up his sword and moves into position near the far side of the area where the sun will be at his back as Topaz and I head a little further back and crouch down amongst the larger rocks covering the ground.

A few minutes later a low rumbling sound starts to reverberate off the surrounding rocks and within a few seconds, that low rumbling has strengthened into a roar as the ground in front of the cornucopia opens up and reveals a massive stone table surrounded by statues of men with crocodile heads rises up from the ground below. As soon as the table stops rising a few tense seconds pass as no one is willing to be the one to make the first move, so I take the initiative.

"Topaz I'm sorry for doing this."

He turns his head towards me with a questioning look in his eyes but it quickly disappears as I drive my knife into the center of his throat even as the tears start to stream down my face. The last thing he ever sees is my tear filled eyes and as the cannon blast rings out I catch Archie's eyes as all hell breaks loose.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **A/N: Well there we have it all hell is about break loose and I hope all of you are as excited for it as I am. Also I hope no one minds that I updated a little ahead of schedule ;)**

 **So anyway I'm not going to ask any questions other than the obvious how was the chapter, who do you think will win the games and who do you want to win the games? But other then that no questions lol.**

 **Anyway as always please review and let me know what you think and I'll be looking for all of your smiling faces at the next update later this week :D**

 **Death Order/Cause/Place**

24-D10F- Fern Shelton-13- Killed by stepping off her plate

23-D7F-Sequoia Sable-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

22-D9M- Jamie Dexton-12-Killed by D4M- Lachlan Melbourne

21-D11F- Iliana Alder-13-Killed by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

20-D5F- Emiliana "Emi" Jameson-13-Killed by D4F- Iona Harrowell

19-D11M- Moriah Trace-12-Killed by D6M- Aldrin Derino

18-D2M- Alex Trake-13-Mercy killing by D2F- Antonia Bismarck

17-D12M- Brenton Aldair-13-Killed by Cobra Mutt

16-D6F- Kaelia Blitzen-12-Killed by Mummy Mutt

15-D9F- Alden Devaire-13-Killed by Jackel Mutt

14-D4M- Lachlan Melbourne-13-Killed by Sphinx Mutt

13-D3M- Bryn Snowdon-13-Killed by D12F- Brooke Kolstad

12-D6M- Aldrin Derino-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

11-D5M- Luell Berring-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

10-D4F- Iona Harrowell-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

09-D2F- Antonia Bismarck-13-Killed by the trap set by D3F- Quanta Bomm

08-D1F- Audrie Christison-13-Killed by D8F- Connor McCormick

07-D7M- Aster Elmore-13-Killed by Jackel Mutts

06-D1M- Topaz Kayden-12-Killed by D8F- Connor McCormick

 **Kill Total**

5- Mutt

4- Quanta

2- Connor

1- Brooke

* * *

2- Lachlan

2- Antonia

1- Iona

1- Aldrin

1- Fern(Suicide)


	29. The Ties That Bind(Final Showdown)

**Archie Razida-13(D8M)**

I….I can't believe what I just saw, after everything he's survived after everything all of us have been through how could Connor just kill him like that. I should have known, my gut was screaming at me not to trust Connor and even my brain knew that her story was weak and full of holes. All I had to do was think logically and none of this would have happened, Topaz would still be alive and that lying bitch would be a stain on the ground but now he's dead and she's a stain on me and my district. I have to be the one to fix this.

I turn my back on the cornucopia and the feast table as the boy from Ten darts in and starts to shovel bottles into a cloth sack as another figure watches him from a little ways back, but I honestly couldn't care less about them right now. Ignoring them completely I turn my attention towards where Connor stands unmoving over the lifeless forum of her one-time friend and ally whose blood covers her hands in a terrifying reminder of her treachery.

I start to slowly make my way towards her but as soon as I do she looks up and offers me a satisfied grin and my rage boils over as my patience abandons me. Acting on pure instinct and fueled by rage I drop my sword to the ground and charge her with all the fury and strength I have left in me only to have her follow suite and charge at me too.

I run at her for everything I'm worth but once I'm close enough to strike I decide to throw her for a loop as I lunge at her legs with an infuriated snarl. My strike seems to be successful as I manage to catch her off guard and send her tumbling to the ground with a vicious strike to her knees that's so forceful it drives the air from my lungs and forces me to take a second to recover and catch my breath. Fortunately, she's in just as bad a state as I am so I'm able to recover and press my advantage while she attempts to cradle her rapidly swelling knee and cries.

Within a couple of seconds, I'm back on my feet as I press my advantage and quickly deliver a series of quick but powerful kicks to her wounded knee as I let all of my anger and resentment come rushing out to crash down on the one person I truly thought I could trust. Fortunately, for her I'm not nearly far enough gone to let my rage totally consume me and after I'm sure I've done enough damage that she's not going to slip away I pull back and decide to get some answers, she owes them to me and I'm not going to finish her off until she tells me why.

"How could you do that Connor? Topaz was your ally; he was your friend for crying out loud. How could you just kill him like that for no reason?"

"Th….There's no such thing as a friend in the arena Archie. Eventually, he was going to become an enemy just like you did so I decided to take him out before he had the chance to do it to me."

"How can you be so cold? After everything you've said and done for the sake of your 'friends', how can you just turn around and kill them like this?"

"Because it's either you guys or me and I'm not ready to die. That's why I spilled Audrie's guts all over the sand and that's why I slit Topaz's throat."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. I trusted you, Connor, we all did."

"Then all of you were fools. Allies and friends are only good for one thing in the games, staying alive. After an ally is no longer useful you have to be willing to cut bait and run or you're going to end up dead. If you'd paid attention to what Thomas taught us during training you'd know that."

I can't believe she could so cold and heartless, then again maybe she's always been this way and I was too gullible and foolish to see it. No, it can't be that simple; she might have been able to fool Topaz and me but Audrie would have zeroed in on it in a second if she'd been lying. No this has to be a recent decision on her part probably brought on by the fact that as soon she made it into the top eight she was finally able to see a real and viable path to the top and that path was apparently paved with the bodies of the people she called friends.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're so shocked by my actions Archie. After all even in an arena full of children you've always been the most childish, the most foolish. I guess it was just more of that blind dumb luck that people like you always seem to have in the games."

"People like me? In case, you haven't noticed Connor your life is about to be ended by a 'childish fool'. All your ridicule and bluster can't save you from paying for what you did to Audrie and Topaz. My only regret is I can't make it hurt you as much as your betrayal hurt them, or as much as it hurt me."

"The only sad thing about that is you're still to childish to understand any of this. You still can't accept the fact that this alliance, that this friendship had the same expiration date as the ones with Topaz and Audrie did. But I guess if I have to die at least it's at the hands of someone with their ideals and morals intact, at least it's at the hands of someone with a conscious."

"Words are wind and nothing you say is going to save you, Connor."

"I'm not trying to save myself I'm just….You know what it doesn't matter. Kill me and be done with it, I've said my peace."

I feel the first string of tears welling up in my eyes as I drop down and pull Connor back to her feet with a tug. Once I've got her back up I spin her around and wrap my forearm around her throat and start to squeeze and while there's a fair bit of initial resistance and thrashing I'm able to keep her under control and as my grip tightens her resistance lessens. After a little while her movements cease and the only indication I have that she's still alive is the quick and ragged gasps escaping her lips as her brain forces her to fight to for every breath.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Connor."

I pull down and back as I try to cut off the last remnants of her air flow but as I try to reestablish my footing and position I feel a sharp pain explode out of nowhere that quickly consumes my groin and leave me balled up on the ground in pain. It only takes me a few seconds to realize what happened and I can't believe I was stupid enough to expose my groin in such a foolish manner. As I do everything I can to suppress the pain coursing through my body Conner is able to steal vital time to recover and with every breath, she takes my chances of finishing her off get slimmer and slimmer.

"No Archie I'm the one who's sorry."

She manages to choke out her apology between breaths and while I'm still in too much pain to respond I can guess what's about to happen. A few seconds later she lunges at me and wrestles me onto my back and unfortunately I allow her to pin one of my arms underneath me too. Once she's got me where she wants me she drops her knee and all her weight down on my other arm and renders it useless too just as she pulls the same blood covered knife she used to kill Topaz out of the folds of her tunic.

"NO, PLEASE CONNOR NOOOOO!"

My protests fall on deaf ears and with tears streaming down my face I stare up into the cold and unfeeling eyes of my one-time ally as she jams the knife into the side of my throat and tears it open. The last thing I see in my life is her cold and unflinching stare.

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Dargo Avene-12(D10M)**

This seems like it's been too easy, I mean one cannon out of a possible three not counting me or Quanta in nearly five minutes is a little sketchy. Also outside of the initial glance, I caught of what I think was another tribute at the start I haven't seen anyone or anything else. I mean I'm more than happy to scoop up as much of the water as I can without having to worry about anyone but it's a little unnerving to be the only one taking advantage of a feast.

Regardless I stuff as many of the bottles as I can into the bag before slipping it on and filling my free hand with another gallon jug. Once I'm full to capacity I scoop up my pitchfork in my free hand and turn to look for Quanta just in time to see a deranged looking girl barrel into me like a freaking train. Instantly I'm sent flying back into the cold and unbending rock of the feast table where my pack is split open leaving me covered in water and my back screaming in pain.

I manage to get back to my feet just as the girl who ran into me is regaining hers and to my surprise I don't see any of the malice or rage that I'd expected to see; no, the only thing I see is the wide fear filled eyes of the girl from Twelve darting around the area in a kind of overstimulated rush.

I can tell she's dangerous but unfortunately, she knocked my pitchfork out of my hand when she ran into me and even more unfortunate is the fact that she's now standing directly between it and me. My mind starts racing as I try my hardest to think of some way to get around or if need be through her to get it back without getting myself killed in the process and while I can think of a ridiculous number of ways to do it all of them seem to end the same way in my mind, with me hurt or possibly even dead.

"Where are the mutts?! Where are they?!"

"I….There are no mutts here."

"Liar, the mutts are everywhere. They set this trap and now they're waiting for us, and you know it too."

Ok, this girl has obviously lost it but I'm not sure if that makes things better or worse. My only real chance to survive is to get around her or at the very least get close enough to my weapon that I can take her out but with how paranoid and unhinged she's acting I'm not sure it's safe for me to try and talk my way through her. Then again if I can't get her to move out-of-the-way I'll have to try to go through her and hope for the best and while we're close to the same size there's no way for me to be sure what will happen if we did end up fighting, especially when she's clearly not all there.

I'm not sure how I'm going to get out of this but lucky for me I don't have to decide, the unlucky part, however, is that I'm only spared the burden of deciding because she rushes me in what's clearly a hysteria induced madness as she bares her teeth like an animal and tries to bite me as she slams me back into the unyielding stone table.

My initial reaction is to push her off so I can try to get away but that ends up being an awful idea because as soon as I put my hands on her she sinks her teeth into the right one and tears a chunk of flesh out before driving her knee up into my gut with surprising force. The mind numbing pain in my back quickly spreads to my hand and my stomach as she continues to deliver blow after blow to my unprotected and incredibly vulnerable midsection.

I'm not sure how long she keeps attacking because eventually the excruciating pain in my sternum fades into numbness as she continues to reign down a flurry of sharp and powerful knees. Finally and almost mercifully she stops to catch her breath and I have the opening I need to retaliate. I cock my uninjured hand back and punch her in the face as hard as I can and while my strike manages to graze her nose the majority of the force is absorbed by her cheek and her jaw and while her head does snap back due to the sheer viciousness of the hit all this does is drive her over the edge as she resumes her gut-wrenching assault.

This time, I don't get a chance to cover my stomach and her first strike drives the air from my lungs and each following strike prevents me from regaining my breath. After another dozen or so strikes my vision starts to go dark and while I continue to feebly attempt to stop her assault each of my strikes is more useless than the one before it. Finally, in an act of sheer desperation, I summon everything I have left and throw my shoulder into the side of her head which disorients her just enough for me to attempt to wiggle out of her grasp.

I manage to get free and make a desperate lunge for my weapon but I come up just a bit short as the tips of my fingers brush against the cold steel as my face collides with the hot and unforgiving sand. I try to scramble forward and scoop it up but she's in me before I have the chance and before I can even react she's digging her teeth into the soft flesh of the back of my neck while she digs her knees into the lower part of my back that has been obliterated by the unforgiving stone of the feast table.

I feel my blood running down the sides of my neck as I thrash about in a vain attempt to break free but just when everything seems to be conspiring to end my life her mouth goes slack and she falls over on top of me. For a moment, I'm not sure what happened and it's only once the sweet sound of a cannon blast lets me know I'm still alive.

I lay there under her for a moment as I try to catch my breath only to hear the sound of approaching footsteps that seem to cause my throat to tighten up in a futile attempt to hide the fact that I'm still alive from whoever is closing in on me. Taking a deep breath I look up just enough to get a fix on my weapon and a few seconds later I explode up and crawl forward as fast as I can. I scoop up my pitchfork before springing onto my knees and spinning around to find the relieved face of Quanta staring back at me.

"Thank goodness you're ok. I thought I'd lost you for a second."

"What….What the hell took you so long to help me?"

"I didn't see her coming at you so once you got there and started loading your pack I turned my attention to the fight between the tributes from Eight."

"The boy I saw at the beginning was from Eight?"

"Yeah and his district partner did a real number on him. I was able to drive her off but it cost me most of my bolts and I used the last one to save you."

"I….Thank you."

"Thank me later, right now we need to get out of here before she comes back."

She offers me her hand and quickly pulls me to my feet despite the pained protests coming from both sides of my lower sternum. Once I'm back on my feet I quickly hobble back to the feast table where I attempt to gather up some of the remaining water even as Quanta screams at me to forget it and run.

"We need it Quanta; we'll never survive without it."

"Don't be stupid Dargo! We need to get out of here while we still can."

I know she's right but damn it so am I but before I can tell her that she lets out a terrified shriek which is followed by an eerie silence. I drop the bottles in my hand and spin around in time to see the girl from Eight standing over her motionless body with a blood-stained rock held tightly in her hand. Her clothes are torn to shreds and her knee is swollen and purple, hell she's even got a part of one of Quanta's bolts sticking out of her shoulder but none of that seems to have stopped her, hell from the way things look it didn't even slow her down.

She slips her foot under Quanta and flips her over on her back before bringing up her rock to strike and in a moment of pure stupidity I lunge at her in a desperate attempt to stop her. I may end up having to kill Quanta myself because of this but there's no way I could let someone I care about, someone I've come to think of as family die like that. For better or worse I'm not going to let it happen without a fight, I just hope this is a fight I'm able to win.

* * *

 **Connor McCormick-13(D8F)**

I'm caught completely off guard by the sudden and surprisingly ferocious attack unleashed and by the time the initial shock finally wears off I'm a world of trouble. Despite my size advantage, I quickly find myself on my stomach with my face buried in the sand as he tries to wrap his arms around my neck and while I'm able to wriggle free from his first attempt I end up exposing my injured shoulder to him which is exactly the wrong thing to do. Instead of choking me he decides to dig his fingers into my wounded shoulder just below the bolt, he digs in deep and then without a hint of hesitation he tears my arm open with a surprisingly vicious tug.

The pain in my arm is the most intense and mind numbing experience of my life and for the first time during the games, I actually feel like I might die. Even when Archie was strangling the life out of me earlier I never doubted for a second that I'd be able to find a way to survive, even as the light started to fade from my world I never even fathomed that those could have been the finally moments of my life, but this a whole new level of excruciating. The pain gets so bad that my body starts to convulse and thrash in a largely futile attempt to dislodge my attacker and bring an end to the white-hot burning sensation that's quickly spreading from my shoulder to the rest of my body.

I have to get him off of me before the pain causes me to pass out and while it seems impossible to do with the level of pain I'm currently in the only chance I have is to calm myself down and think. If I keep thrashing around like a scared animal I'm only going to make things worse for myself, I've got to keep my wits about me or this really will be the end and I'm still not ready or willing to face my death, at least not here and now.

I take a couple of deep breaths before forcing myself to bite down on my lip as hard as I dare in a desperate attempt to distract myself from the pain in my arm and shoulder. It only takes a few seconds for my mouth to be flooded by the warm and salty taste of my blood as my teeth dig deeper and deeper into the raw, sun-blasted mess that my lips have become but the pain in my mouth does help to momentarily ease my other pains and that's all I really need it to do. Taking advantage of the momentary relief I force myself up onto my knees and quickly throw myself back as hard as I can in an effort to jar my assailant loose.

Luckily the sudden burst of energy that took me from writhing in pain to counter attacking catches my opponent as unprepared as he caught me earlier and the force of my attack is enough to break his grip on me and while his left-hand remains buried in the gash on my shoulder the sudden absence of his right hand allows me to adjust my position enough that I'm able to force him to relinquish his hold completely.

As soon as I feel the sweet relief of his fingers slipping out of my wound my body is overcome with a rush of energy and while my body is screaming at me to get away and recover I'm able to force myself to resist the temptation as I quickly straddle my prone enemy and place my knees on either side of his torso in an effort to pin his arms down. Fortunately, my quick thinking allows me to claim this crucial advantage and as I stare down at my foe I'm taken aback by the defiant glare in his eyes.

For a brief moment I'm paralyzed by what I see, he has the same defiant and determined look in his eyes Archie had, the same self-satisfied air about him. Even in defeat he's still just as confident and determined as he was when he lowered his shoulder and barreled into me in a vain and futile attempt to save that puny little runt from Three. Even now with his life about to end he's still so calm and in control, hell even Archie begged for his life at the end but he won't, why?

"Aren't you going to beg me to let you live?"

"Why should I?"

"Everyone else I've fought has; tributes three times better than you begged me not to kill them."

"I'm the one who made the decision to fight you and I did so knowing full well what could and probably would happen because of it. I wasn't going to watch you kill my friend just to save myself and this is the result of that decision and I accept it."

"You were willing to throw your life away for her? Why would you sacrifice your own life for someone who'd probably just as soon kill you as return the favor?"

"Because some things are more important than winning, like being able to die knowing you did the right thing even when the wrong thing was safer and easier."

"You're just as gullible as everyone else. No one is going to remember that you sacrificed yourself to save someone who's going to end up dead too, but they always remember the victor."

"Only until someone more violent and treacherous comes along. After that, you'll be just another sad and lonely person who's haunted by the mistakes of her past."

I've heard enough of this crap; I'm not going to be lectured by someone who was too stupid and childish to understand that you can't have friends in the Hunger Games. He wants to die protecting his friend then he can, after all, what kind of person would deny someone so caring such a passionate and thoughtful last request?

I slip my hand inside the folds of my tunic and grasp the hilt of my knife. I pull it out and whimsically trace a line across his throat leaving a small trail of blood where I intend to cut. Looking down into his eyes for the final time I receive the same defiant stare as before and despite my distaste for what I'm doing, I know it's something that has to be done. With a flick of my wrist, I cut through his soft flesh as a thin trail of blood starts to seep out through the cut.

I stare down into his face as the color starts to slowly drain out as the small trickle starts to pick up steam and before long his entire neck is covered in the hot and sticky red mess. As I stare down at my handy work a low grunting sound starts to ring out around me and while I initially assume it's the final desperate groans of the boy beneath me I've never been more wrong in my life because a few seconds later I hear a soft clicking sound followed by the unmistakable patter of footsteps behind me.

I quickly jump back to my feet and spin around in time to see the rage filled eyes of the girl from Three staring back at me her crossbow cocked and ready to fire. I don't have time to dodge hell I barely have time to scream as she pulls the trigger and sends a blood covered bolt sailing into my head with a thump….

~BOOM~

* * *

 **Quanta Bomm-13(D3F)**

The girl from Eight crumbles as her knees buckle mere seconds after my bolt connects and while I'm not initially sure she's dead a few seconds later I'm greeted by the roar of a cannon and I allow myself to release a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding in. I stand there stunned for a few seconds as I wait for the master of ceremonies to announce me as the victor and it's only after hearing the a blood-choked gargle that I realize why nothing's happened yet, Dargo is still alive!

I toss my crossbow aside and rush to his side where I find his warm and friendly smile waiting for me even as a steady stream of blood continues to flow out of the cut on his neck. Acting on what I remember about stopping bleeding injuries from training I immediately tear off the cleanest sleeve on my tunic and attempt to wrap it around his neck but he clutches my arm and stops me before I can.

"It….It won't do any good to try and stop it now. The cut's too deep."

"I can still slow it down enough that the Capitol doctors can fix it, though."

"No….No, you can't."

"Yes, yes I can."

"You might be able too if I was going to win, but I'm not Quanta, you are."

Why is he saying this? He has to know that there's no way I could ever live with myself if I lived and he died let alone kill him myself. He has to know that I'm going to do everything within my power to save him and there's really nothing he can do to stop that….Except what he's doing right now.

"Sorry, Dargo but this isn't going to work. I'm going to stop the bleeding and then I'm going to find a way to get you out of here and back home to your mom and sisters."

"What….What about your family Quanta?"

"What about them?"

"Don't you think they'd like to see you again just as much as my family would me?"

"My family will understand why I didn't come home, they probably never even dared hope I would."

"Well, then they're going to be in for the surprise of their lives here in a couple of seconds."

"Don't talk like that Dargo, please don't."

"Quanta you're the smartest, kindest, and most passionate person I've ever met but there are some things even a smart, kind and passionate genius like you can't fix and death is one of them."

"Dargo….I'm begging you, please….Please don't die on me."

"You know I was always worried I'd die before my mom and sisters ever told me anything about my dad. Now I can get my questions answered straight from the horse's mouth. Thank you for giving me that opportunity Quanta."

"I didn't do anything, though. It was all you, it was all you Dargo."

"Can you do me a favor Quanta? Will you tell my mom and my sisters I love them, and will you tell them that dad and I will look in on them from time to time? Will you do that for me please?"

"Yes, I promise I'll tell them Dargo."

I cradle his head in my lap as the last vestiges of light start to fade from his eyes and I'm there to hear the last words one of the greatest friends I've ever had and one of the greatest people I'll ever know uttered his final words.

"My life wasn't perfect but at least it was good, I can't wait to finally meet my dad."

~BOOM~

" _Ladies and gentlemen allow me to present to you the victor of the One Hundred and Third annual Hunger Games, District Three's Quanta Bomm!"_

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it everyone, the victor of the 103** **rd** **Hunger Games is Quanta Bomm. A special thanks to Ripple237 and everyone else who submitted or just read along and shared in this adventure with me. I still have the aftermath and the epilogue/eulogy chapter to finish up but for the most part this puts a neat little bow on my 4** **th** **story and I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone so from the bottom of my heart I thank you for everything.**

 **Now I hope to have the prologue chapter for my next story up this weekend or at the latest by Monday and as long as Game of Thrones doesn't consume my life like it has the past three weeks I fully intend to meet that deadline so be on the lookout for it if you're interested in submitting to my next SYOT :D**

 **Other than that as always please review and let me know what you thought of the story, the final showdown and of course of the newest victor to join the illustrious winners of my previous stories in Kimma, Joyce and Verity. :D**


	30. New Reality(Games Aftermath)

**Quanta Bomm-13(Victor of the 103rd Hunger Games)**

I never thought winning would feel so empty. I mean I've never been an overly social person but I never thought for one second that winning the Hunger Games could ever leave me feeling so empty and low. Zapp assures me all of this will pass with time but I'm not sure I'll ever feel as happy and complete as I did for the first few days in the arena. Those moments with Dargo and Luell were some of the happiest and most joyous ones of my short life and while the two of them are reunited in a place of happiness and joy I'm stuck here with the pain of their deaths and the ever-present reminder of a future as a mentor hanging over me like a shroud.

"Quanta you look absolutely beautiful. I told you your beauty could compete with your brains if you'd just give it a chance."

I can't for the life of me understand why Velicity insisted on dressing me up like this, I mean I look and feel like an overly made up doll or one of those Capitol freaks that spend enough money on surgeries and cosmetics to feed everyone in my district. Still I do have to admit that for a change I do really feel pretty, I may think I look like a freak but at the very least I'm a pretty freak.

"Thank you, I have to admit I wasn't sure about all of this but your magic took my mundane appearance and made me into something bold and noticeable. Thank you so much Velicity, for everything."

"It's my pleasure dear. After all, not everyone is privileged enough to be a victors stylist. Both of my parents spent thirty plus years in this business and only had one victor between them in all that time while I managed to land one in my third year on the job."

"I didn't know this was a family business for you."

"Of course dear, after all, it's an extremely important and rare honor to be trusted with the appearance and image of a tribute. My parents spent years preparing me for this and I'm sure they're green with envy over the rapid arrival of my first victor. Now all you have to do is mentor me another victor next year and I'll be the most successful stylist in my family, and in a family as old and well-regarded in the games as mine is that's saying something."

"So there's no pressure then?"

"Not for you dear, at least not right now. No all of this is for you so take a deep breath and drink it all in, you've earned and deserved every bit of it Quanta."

I'm not sure I agree with her on that. After all, what did I really do to deserve this besides kill six people ,including one of the closest and dearest friends I'll ever make and outlast the ones I didn't kill? Not to mention the pain of having to hold Dargo as the life drained from his eyes all the while wishing it could have been me instead of him that was slowly slipping away.

However, none of my issues are ones someone like Velicity would ever truly understand and after spending three days living with a Capitol shrink in the immediate aftermath of my games I'm not really keen on the idea of trying to get her to understand either. After all, if someone whose job it is to understand and help correct mental and emotional problems couldn't understand the guilt and sorrow I'm feeling I highly doubt that my stylist will fare much better. No this is something I'm going to have to figure out for myself so instead of talking I simply offer her as confident and energetic a nod as I can muster while conjuring up a smile that seems to put her at ease.

"Well I think we're done here but Zapp wanted to talk to you before you went on stage. Is it ok if I send him in now?"

"Um….Sure, I guess."

"If you'd rather not talk to him now I can tell him that too. You only have to do it if you want to do it."

"No, I'll talk to him. I mean we're going to be working together now so I might as well get used to it, right?"

"That's the spirit; soon we'll all be one big family. I'll send him in."

"Thank you."

I'm not sure how much I like the idea of being a 'family' with Zapp and our district escort Sagitarria but maybe they'll grow on me like Velicity did. Either way, I'll just have to grit and bear it regardless of how I feel about them personally, after all, I'm going to need Zapp's experience and Sagitarria's connections if I want to bring tributes home alive, at least until I establish my own and gain a little experience anyway.

I spend a few quiet seconds daydreaming about my lost friends while staring into the mirror in a vain attempt to figure out what exactly it is my hair is supposed to look like when a soft rapping at the door snaps me back to reality.

"Come in."

The door slides open and Zapp slips inside my dressing room with a silent nod. He's dressed in a rather dapper dark blue suit with gold trim that almost make the sour old man I know look like the charismatic and adventurous young man who won his Hunger Games all those years ago. This isn't the first time I've been amazed at the ability of nice clothes and a little makeup to totally alter someone's appearance but it is the first time I've really thought about the toll life has taken on Zapp and I can't help but wonder if I'm destined to live the same hard and unforgiving life he has.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up. This is a lot to throw at someone in such a short time so if you need to talk or vent to someone I'm here."

"No offense Zapp but you've never really struck me as the kind of person that's comfortable with sitting and listing to someone else talk about their problems. It's not in your nature, at least not the one on display to the people back in Three."

"I understand how you'd think that about me, and honestly, I've never been really close or open with people. Hell, even my own son got tired of how closed off and distant I was with him. My wife understood but she was alive to see me compete in my own games and because of that she never pressed me to open up about it and talk to her. Once she died though my son and I lost the anchor that kept our relationship afloat and we just, drifted apart. The only time we talk anymore is right after I come back from mentoring and give my grand kids a present from the Capitol and even that's a strain on him."

"I never knew that you had a wife let alone kids and grand kids."

"Such is the life of a victor my dear. If you're smart you'll do everything you can to shield your family from the attention of the Capitol or you run the risk of seeing your family eaten alive by your accomplishments. Scores of tributes survive the horrors of the arena only to watch a sibling or a cousin get consumed by it later. Worse are the ones that watch a child of their own fight and regardless of how it turns out it's always a tragedy."

He's right, everyone remembers how Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta had to watch their precious son die as his 'allies' ganged up on him in jealousy while the Sangster family has enjoyed nothing but success with the victor mother and father birthing and raising three victors of their own in Verity and her brothers. Still though I'm not sure what it is Zapp's offering me at this point, is he offering me help, advice or is he just pointlessly reminiscing? Well, I guess there's only one way to find out for sure.

"So how do I protect the ones I care about without driving them away like you did to your son? Are you offering to help me with this or are we just talking about stuff?"

"Yes, I'm offering to help but not in the traditional way you're probably thinking I am. The kind of help I can offer is wisdom and experience of a life spent fighting the very nature of what my life became the second I won my games. In me, you have a cautionary tale of what happens if you close yourself off and push everyone away in an attempt to save them from yourself."

"Ok, now you've lost me. What exactly is it you're saying you can do to help me?"

"I'm saying that I can be the example of what letting the fear of what could happen to your friends and family now that you're a victor control your life can lead to. I tried so hard to shield everyone I cared about from the horrors of what I'd done in the arena and all it did was drive them away in anger, but that doesn't have to be your fate. If you can find it within yourself to accept the new and often times undesirable reality that you now live in and accept that your loved ones can help you adapt to and even thrive in it then you'll have the chance to be happy, you don't have to become the lonely and miserable old fart that I did."

"That's true but that street runs both ways, Zapp. If I have to accept my new lot in life then so do you and your new lot comes complete with the love and support of my friends and family. My parents would love to get to know you and my dad will talk your ear off for hours about all the wondrous things he tinkers with in his spare time and how they can change the world, and don't even get me started on my mom or my best friend Pepper.

"What are you saying Quanta?"

"I'm saying that if you're willing to help me get through today and all the other days to come then the least I can do is give you the chance to be a part of a family again. After all, we're bound together through or shared title of Hunger Games Victor so we might as well at least try to make each other's lives a little brighter too."

"What you're offering me is a kindness I never thought I'd live to see again in my lifetime. You're a wise and noble young woman Quanta, and District Three and Panem are lucky to have you as our champion, and I'm privileged to have you as my partner and fellow mentor."

I'm not sure how to respond, this is a kind and remorseful side of Zapp I never knew existed and for the first time in my life I've been left speechless. Because I can't think of anything to say I decide to just wrap him in a hug as I do everything in my power to stop myself from bursting into tears, Velicity will kill me if I smudge my makeup so I'll just have to save the tears for the train ride home.

"So Quanta are you ready to meet your adoring fans for the first time as a victor?"

I'm not sure anyone can ever be truly ready for any of this but as long as I have someone like Zapp to help me through the tough times and the spirits of Dargo and Luell to keep me on course and steer me straight I'm confident I can make this work.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

 **A/N: Well everyone here's the reaction from our newest victor to her new life, it also means we're just one epilogue away from the end of our adventure and while I'm a little sad to see this one end the next one is just ahead as my newest story, Show No Mercy:The 104th Hunger Games is now accepting tributes :D**

 **Right now I've got 20 submissions but most of those are grouped up along two or so spots and almost every submission so far has been girls so if you want to submit to it go grab the forum off my profile and send me a tribute so we can get our next adventure started, also check out the story too lol :D**

 **Other then that please review as always and I'll be looking for all of your smiling faces at the next update of my new story and the last update of this one :)**


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